NEWS
Drones to revolutionise NHS pathology deliveries
The NHS in Lancashire and South Cumbria is set to pioneer the use of drone technology to deliver medical samples between selected hospital sites thanks to around £1.4 million in UK Research and Innovation funding. University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust (UHMBT) and Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust will be teaming up with local enterprises Digital & Future Technologies and Miralis Data to deliver the 20-month project.
Selected as part of the government’s
Future Flight Challenge, the two-phase trial will first see medical samples being transported between the Royal Lancaster Infirmary, Westmorland General and Furness General Hospital before simulating the potential expansion to Royal Preston Hospital. The electrically charged drones will cut the delivery times between the hospitals across Morecambe Bay by over an hour, optimising the operation of pathology laboratories, meaning patients and clinicians will have access to results faster. Currently samples travel between the hospitals by van multiple times per day, with the new technology set to reduce the carbon footprint as part of the health service’s wider green agenda. The drones, developed by UK company SkyLift UAV, will operate specific routes across the bay between the hospitals, for a trial period of 90 days and will fly almost silently in their own dedicated airspace at 250 feet above ground level. This comes thanks to support from the Civil Aviation Authority and cooperation from large private sector organisations.
Automation reimagines laboratory diagnostics service
San Paolo Hospital in Savona, Italy, has upgraded its Corelab-related analytical equipment. In collaboration with Beckman Coulter, the San Paolo diagnostic laboratory has installed Beckman Coulter’s DxA 5000 Laboratory Automation System. This latest installation of Beckman
Coulter’s DxA Automation System marks the 100th installation worldwide and the first in the Liguria region of Italy. It will reduce manual processes, ensure consistent and rapid turnaround time, and correct pre- analytical treatment errors to help deliver a higher quality of each diagnostic test result. The DxA 5000 now makes it possible to
streamline the entire pre-analytical process (access, identification and tracking) by managing all incoming test tubes to the laboratory, which has seen a surge in recent months. It features an intelligent automation system capable of prioritising each test tube according to the patient’s specific needs – from emergency to routine. Thanks to this technology, it will now be possible to quickly handle the more than 15,000 tests reported daily by laboratories. “San Paolo Hospital Diagnostic Laboratory chose to implement an intelligent system able to manage all incoming test tubes in the Corelab area, allowing for a significant improvement in the entire analytical process, starting from the phase with the highest criticality and impact (ie the pre-analytical phase),” explained Dr Lillo, Director of Clinical Pathology Laboratory (ASL 2) in Savona.
Dr Lillo added: “By minimising manual
processes and guaranteeing the correct filtering treatment of non-conformities, this solution can ensure greater standardisation of activities and quality of diagnostic test results. Thanks to the ability to manage each individual test tube, using priority criteria configured during the design phase
of the operational flows and based on the clinical needs of the patient rather than on rigidly programmed automatisms, the system offers fundamental flexibility to the management of diagnostic dynamics.” The DxA 5000 uses a solution to purify effluents that make it possible to eliminate the particular waste generated. “In recent years, much attention has been paid to laboratory medicine and its importance in diagnostic and therapeutic pathways, as it has become clear that the health of every nation depends on the readiness of laboratories to analyse and react to emergencies. We are proud to provide Savona with the latest technology in line with the world’s most advanced laboratories, as we believe it is essential to safeguard and improve the health of patients in the province of Savona and the whole of Liguria,” emphasised Silvano Bertasini, General Manager, Southern Europe, Beckman Coulter. As ASL 2 general manager Marco Damonte Prioli said: “This solution will make it possible to increase the number of examinations with the same amount of time and personnel. This is a further measure put in place by ASL 2 as part of the process of continuous improvement of the company’s responses to citizens’ demands for healthcare.”
www.beckman.com
Submissions open for Lab Awards 2022
The Lab Awards will return on 2 November 2022, the first day of Lab Innovations, at the NEC in Birmingham. The awards, sponsored by Lab Innovations in partnership with Laboratory News, celebrate the key achievements of the laboratory industry, recognising the innovative work of individuals, suppliers and projects.
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Aspiring winners of the Lab Awards can now submit their applications on its website for a variety of categories. The award ceremony will take place in the Insights and Innovation Theatre at Lab Innovations at 3.00 pm on 2 November. To enter, complete the online form:
www.lab-innovations.com/lab-awards- about/awards-submission-form/
SEPTEMBER 2022
WWW.PATHOLOGYINPRACTICE.COM
Annalisa Russell-Smith
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