Advances in surgical specimen management across North Wales

In 2016, following laboratory centralisation across North Wales, Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board (BCUHB) installed five Menarini Diagnostics SealSAFE systems across its three main hospital sites. As the largest health organisation in Wales, BCUHB has a budget of £1.3 billion and a workforce of over 17,000 staff. The Health Board serves a population of around 694,000 people across six principal areas (Anglesey, Conwy, Denbighshire, Flintshire, Gwynedd and Wrexham) as well as some parts of Mid Wales, Cheshire and Shropshire. The Board is responsible for the operation of three district general hospitals, at Ysbyty Gwynedd (Gwynedd Hospital) in Bangor, Ysbyty Glan Clwyd (Glan Clwyd Hospital) in Bodelwyddan and Ysbyty Wrecsam Maelor (Wrexham Maelor Hospital) in Wrexham.

            The main diagnostic laboratory for the histopathology service for BCUHB is located at Glan Clwyd Hospital. Satellite laboratories at Gwynedd Hospital and Wrexham Maelor Hospital serve primarily as specimen collection points as well as offering specialist services such as frozen sections. The histopathology department typically processes 45,000 requests per annum and receives a range of different samples, from small biopsies to organ resections, of all tissue types from theatre areas across the Health Board.

Situation prior to adoption of SealSAFE