Royal Infirmary in Huddersfield to open new multi-million pound biochemistry laboratory

A new multi-million pound biochemistry laboratory has opened at Huddersfield Royal Infirmary, part of The Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust.

The laboratory will feature an ADVIA LabCell automation solution from Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics integrating multiple ADVIA analysers, along with other pieces of innovative technology, it is hoped that this will reduce the time taken to test sample bloods by a third, as well as provide greater capacity.

With new investment flowing into the lab, technicians will now be able to handle some 3,000 blood samples every day, which significantly exceeds previous turnover rates. Sharon Appleby, Pathology Services Manager at Huddersfield Royal Infirmary said: "The investment brings the laboratory up to national gold level standards, which means we have the very best equipment in the country for the testing of local patients. The laboratory is a tremendous asset for the Trust and includes an amazing overhaul of the existing equipment and facilities of which we are very proud."

She added that the installation of the technology went smoothly, with Siemens working in close collaboration with the research facility. It was important that the redesign of the lab didn’t impact the daily routine of the workers, which is something that was achieved by forward-planning and strategy management.

The laboratory is expecting new workloads to come their way in the future, which meant the upgrade in technology was necessary to handle the extra work. "The new automated track with connected analysers will help us smooth out the peaks and troughs of sample management," Ms Appleby added.

Huddersfield Royal Infirmary will now house an ADVIA LabCell automation system from Siemens, together with two sample managers, two ADVIA centrifuges, two ADVIA Centaur XP Immunoassay systems and two ADVIA 2400 Chemistry systems.

A team of 40 biomedical scientists, support staff and laboratory assistants will operate the lab, ensuring that GP requirements are met.

Posted by Ben Evans