Conquest Hospital receives advanced equipment

A host of advanced diagnostic equipment has been installed at Conquest Hospital as part of a £10m contract for East Sussex pathology services.
The Conquest Hospital pathology department with their new equipmentThe Conquest Hospital pathology department with their new equipment
The Conquest Hospital pathology department with their new equipment

East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust says the new equipment - which has been installed at both Conquest Hospital and Eastbourne DGH - will speed up test, minimise errors and reduce costs for the trust.

It comes as part of a £10 million, seven year contract with Roche Diagnostics Ltd to provide some of the most advanced pathology equipment available.

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Dr Joel Newman, consultant haematologist and deputy chief of division for diagnostics, anaesthetics and surgery said: “Our exciting partnership with Roche Diagnostics has enabled us to modernise our pathology service, and the new equipment is making a significant impact on the speed and reliability of the tests we perform and improved the working environment of members of staff in the laboratories.

“This is a significant investment in our pathology service in East Sussex and our new cutting-edge equipment has improved the service to our doctors, nurses and users in the community, giving them the valuable information they need to better treat the patients in their care.”

According to the trust, the two Pathology laboratories in Hastings and Eastbourne analyse and report on more than 8 million samples each year. The majority of the tests performed are available for doctors to review within one hour of them being received in the laboratory, although some tests can take days to process and report due to their complexity.

The trust estimates between 70 to 80 per cent of all healthcare diagnoses and decisions are directly influenced by pathology test results and that the new equipment will make a significant positive impact on pathology reporting helping.

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A NHS spokesman said: "The complex contract with Roche Diagnostics Ltd was signed in 2016 but has only recently gone live. The agreement with Roche is flexible enough to allow the Trust to take advantage of new tests on the market which can quickly screen samples and avoid long and worrying waits for patients.

"Roche have provided extensive training and support whilst continuing to help us with workflow analysis and laboratory optimisation."