New £95 million investment in pathology services set to bring major benefits to millions of patients

A new £95 million investment in laboratory testing and diagnostic services at Central Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (CMFT) will make a major impact on the wide range of general and specialist services provided to CMFT patients who come from all over the Greater Manchester region and beyond.

From left to right – Christopher Parker, Managing Director Roche Diagnostics UK and Ireland and David Brayshaw, Directorate of Laboratory Medicine, Central Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Laboratory medicine lies at the heart of all patient care, with an estimated 70-80% of all healthcare decisions affecting diagnosis or treatment involving a laboratory investigation.  This is particularly important for CMFT’s role as a teaching hospital and provider of many specialist services.

To maximise the quality and efficiency of its pathology services and harness developments in analytical technology, CMFT has awarded a pathology contract to Roche Diagnostics following a competitive tender process.  The vision of the new contract is to transform every aspect of the modern laboratory and ensure that pathology is at the heart of the clinical pathway.  Over the next 10 years, CMFT will work with Roche Diagnostics to ensure that its pathology services are high quality, sustainable, and at the forefront of technology.

The partnership is the result of a procurement scoping exercise over four years to find a pathology supplier partner that would be capable of supporting the Trust with the innovation and flexibility required to make its laboratory services world class. As well as supporting the development of a 24/7 pathology service, Roche will provide innovative IT solutions, along with a range of technology and services to ensure patient safety and smooth delivery of patient data to clinical teams.

Professor Bob Pearson, Medical Director at CMFT, said:

We believe that our partnership with Roche will enable us to develop progressive and integrated pathology services that will support and enhance patient care at our hospitals and provide improved outcomes, both now and into the future, and which will also facilitate our research and development agenda.

Christopher Parker, Managing Director Roche Diagnostics UK and Ireland:

We are delighted to be supporting one of the most innovative and progressive pathology teams in the country as they deliver quicker and more accurate results.  We are proud to be working alongside such an ambitious team who are set to pave the way for the safest, most effective, patient focused laboratories in the country.