State-of-the-art Laboratory Automation helps to provide Superior Pathology Services in Ipswich

The pathology laboratory at Ipswich Hospital NHS Trust is the first site in the UK to go live with the very latest, high throughput automated workflow solution from Roche, the cobas® 8100. This cutting edge technology will allow the clinical biochemistry laboratory to cope with increasing workloads while ensuring rapid and predictable turnaround times and high quality analytical results.
 
The cobas 8100 provides end-to-end sample processing, with a single point of entry, automated pre- and post-analytics, and state-of-the-art, intelligent sample routing for autonomous workflow management.  Its unique 3D transportation system directs samples to and from the analytical modules and keeps empty sample racks on a separate level, preventing bottlenecks and ensuring a smooth and efficient workflow.  
 
“Ipswich Hospital’s pathology services are now part of the Pathology Partnership and Ipswich will become a hub laboratory for our reconfigured services, which will mean a significant increase in workload,” explained Head BMS and Service Manager, Clinical Biochemistry, Dean Braunig.  “Our cobas 8100, with two cobas® 8000 modular analytical lines, provides the capacity to increase our throughput, while ensuring same-day, high quality results for routine test requests as well as urgent emergency samples.”
 
“Rapid turnaround of A&E test requests is essential for the hospital,” he continued.  “With the cobas 8100, urgent samples can be prioritised and tracked very easily.  Since we began using the cobas 8000 analytical platform a year ago, our test repertoire has increased and our turnaround times have improved significantly.  97% of A&E results are obtained within one hour and, as a result, the hospital was able to close a ward in the last year because fewer patients required a bed while they waited for test results.”
 
The Ipswich Hospital NHS Trust Chair, Ann Tate, and Chief Operating Officer, Neill Moloney, were present at the official unveiling of the cobas 8100. Ann Tate commented: “At Ipswich Hospital NHS Trust we aim to deliver the best quality of patient care to every patient, every day.  This partnership with Roche, bringing cutting edge technology into the Clinical Biochemistry Laboratory, helps to seal this promise by ensuring the delivery of rapid and reliable test results 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.”