£1m Revamp Leaves Royal Surrey Laboratory ‘Among Most Advanced in UK’

Published on: 5 Oct, 2020
Updated on: 8 Oct, 2020

A technician at work in the new £1 million laboratory.

A million-pound refurbishment of the Royal Surrey’s laboratory has turned the service into one of the most advanced in the UK.

At present, the 60 laboratory technicians process 200,000 tissue samples a year for patients across Surrey and Berkshire, vital in diagnosing conditions.

The Trust commissioned the refurbishment in March, and will soon install state-of-the-art digital scanners. They allow the technicians to digitise and send patient tissue samples to clinicians anywhere in the world for diagnosis, a ground-breaking advance shred with only a few other Trusts in the UK.

Louise Stead, chief executive of Royal Surrey Trust, said: “Histopathology [study and diagnosis of tissue diseases] is a vital service for many patients undergoing tests, including investigation or treatment of cancer.

“This investment means the laboratory team will be able to more effectively streamline their work, process more samples and enable rapid and advanced diagnostic tests.”

Chief Executive Louise Stead cuts the ribbon.

James Woodland, the Trust’s lead biomedical scientist, said: “Medical, scientific and technical staff in our department now have a bright and modern facility and state-of-the-art equipment.

“This means they have the best chance to provide a high-quality and timely diagnostic service to all of our patients.”

Berkshire Surrey Pathology Services is a joint venture with Royal Surrey NHS Foundation Trust, Frimley Heath, Royal Berkshire and Ashford and St Peters Hospitals to deliver pathology services across Surrey and Berkshire.

All histopathology samples for Surrey hospitals within the Berkshire & Surrey Pathology Services network are processed at the Royal Surrey.

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