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Quality and productivity improvements: partnership drives innovation

Partnership working between Beckman Coulter and pathology staff in Chester once again has demonstrated what connectivity and a small footprint can achieve, as Martin Langan explains.

The Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust began its partnership with Beckman Coulter more than five years ago to develop one of the first combined blood science units in the NHS. The upgrading of the laboratory service was part of a £6 million investment programme by the hospital both to infrastructure and environment. At the same time, the hospital instigated a process of continuous improvement in all departments, with the aim of increasing productivity and efficiency by minimising waste and delays.

Collaboration with Beckman Coulter is part of that process of continuous improvement. It has involved a complete upgrade of all the systems and also a laboratory reconfiguration, with staff trained to work with greater efficiency across a number of disciplines. We have been able to demonstrate quantifiable workflow improvements with lower and more consistent turnaround times (TATs). The partnership has enabled us to redesign our long-term service provision in line with core Lean principles. This approach focuses more on fundamental process improvements than just immediate cost-saving.

The laboratory now processes approximately 3500 samples a day, with a 50/50 split between our internal and external customers. Continuous improvements have also had to take into account limitations to floor space. When, in autumn 2013, we wanted to upgrade our haematology service, the challenge was to find a new platform that offered us more precise and faster haematology analysis in a compact footprint.

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Upcoming Events

USCAP 113th Annual Meeting

Baltimore Convention Center, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
23-28 March, 2024

Pathology Horizons 2024

MacDonald Bath Spa Hotel, Bath
18-20 April, 2024

Diagnostics North East Conference 2024

The Catalyst, Newcastle upon Tyne
19 April, 2024

ECCMID 2024 - European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases

Fira Gran Via, 08038 Barcelona, Spain
27-30 April 2024

British Society for Microbial Technology Annual Microbiology Conference

UK Health Security Agency, Colindale, London
2 May 2024

EQA Reports: Interpreting Key Information & Troubleshooting Tips

ONLINE - Zoom
Thursday 16th May 2024

Access the latest issue of Pathology In Practice on your mobile device together with an archive of back issues.

Download the FREE Pathology In Practice app from your device's App store

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