Frances Hughes and Claire Swift, both senior biomedical scientists in molecular pathology, are part of the team at University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust which won the award for Improving Quality and Efficiency through Workforce Transformation, for their work on the Molecular Pathology Diagnostic Service.
Recognised in Healthcare Science Awards
Their work was recognised for its unique selling point – it has molecular diagnostics embedded in pathology. It has an excellent reputation in tumour diagnostics, undertaking advanced molecular diagnostics for over 60 hospitals.
The service has been developed by molecular pathology operations manager Brendan O’Sullivan, who mentioned three things that have been key to its success. First, employing staff members with a range of different advanced skills, second, the input of the business unit at the trust, which has been essential to financing development, and lastly constant horizon-scanning and contacts with industry so they can spot upcoming technologies and get ahead of the curve.
Brendan was also keen to stress that this is not a technology-led service, it’s a service delivery-led one, headed by a clinician. Above all, Brendan praises the contribution of staff who he says consistently function above and beyond expectation.