For the second year running, Torbay HospitalÆs haematology laboratory has proved to be the best-performing department in the UK for plasma viscosity (PV). Each year, the laboratory processes around 30,000 PV tests, and every month the standards are quality-assured and benchmarked against results from around 50 laboratories across the country.
Laboratory manager Steve Giles said: “This is an inflammatory marker test used mostly to indicate if a patient is suffering from an infection or inflammation, but it can flag up some more serious problems. It is also used to monitor the effectiveness of anti-inflammatory treatment for rheumatoid arthritis. The award is a real credit to the laboratory staff, for consistently and correctly controlling and calibrating the testing equipment to achieve optimum test results.”
As winner of the Central Quality Assurance Scheme’s Gold Star, the Torbay Hospital haematology laboratory was presented with a textbook of the team’s choice and a bottle of champagne with which to celebrate. The award was sponsored by the manufacturer of the Benson viscometer system equipment used for the PV tests. Pictured is haematology laboratory manager Steve Giles making the presentation to Lynne Bird and colleagues.
www.BensonViscometers.com