Published: 27th September 2022 - All information correct at time of publication.
As part of the five-year programme to transform pathology services across south east London, major investment is being made into the replacement of aging laboratory analysers with modern equipment. Once roll out is completed, all testing services – including results – will be standardised across all Viapath’s services. This will mean consistency for all service users in terms of ordering tests and interpreting results, which will be particularly helpful to colleagues who move regularly between services, e.g. GP locums.
One of the first steps is to replace the chemistry analysers used at Guy’s and St Thomas’ hospitals with five new machines. This will reduce downtime due to breakdown and maintenance, and will help to increase testing performance, efficiency and capacity. A date hasn’t been confirmed for this to happen, but we expect it to be from November 2022 onwards.
As the new equipment differs from what is used today, there will be some changes to biochemistry test results, including some reference ranges. We are working with clinical leads to ensure that all relevant colleagues are appropriately informed and that possible clinical risks are identified and fully mitigated. Only GPs using GSTT services will be affected by these changes, which is mostly those working within Southwark and Lambeth. Further detailed communications will follow in the coming weeks highlighting key areas of change.
The latest information about this and other improvement activities will also be posted on the dedicated pathology transformation website at https://sel.synlab.co.uk/
If you have any queries about this programme, please email [email protected] However, please note that all operational queries about pathology services, including orders or test results, should always be referred to the dedicated customer services team at [email protected] or 0204 513 7300.
