The pathology laboratory at Ipswich Hospital NHS Trust is the first site in the UK to go live with the very latest, high-throughput automated workflow solution from Roche, the cobas 8100.
Providing reliable, fully-automated, end-to-end sample processing, this cutting-edge technology will allow the clinical biochemistry laboratory to cope with increasing workloads while ensuring rapid and predictable turnaround times and high-quality analytical results.
The cobas 8100 provides end-to-end sample processing with a single point of entry, automated pre- and post-analytics, and state-of-the-art, intelligent sample routing for autonomous workflow management. Its unique 3D transportation system directs samples to and from the analytical modules and keeps empty sample racks on a separate level, preventing bottlenecks and ensuring a smooth and efficient workflow.
“Ipswich Hospital’s pathology services are now part of the Pathology Partnership and Ipswich will become a hub laboratory for our reconfigured services, which will mean a significant increase in workload,” said head BMS and service manager for clinical biochemistry, Dean Braunig.
“Our cobas 8100, with two cobas 8000 modular analytical lines, provides the capacity to increase our throughput, while ensuring same-day, high-quality results for routine test requests as well as urgent emergency samples.”
He added: "Rapid turnaround of A&E test requests is essential for the hospital. This important to ensure timely clinical decisions so that patients receive appropriate care as quickly as possible. With the cobas 8100, urgent samples can be prioritised and tracked very easily. Since we began using the cobas 8000 analytical platform a year ago, our test repertoire has increased and our turnaround times have improved significantly. Now 97% of A&E results are obtained within one hour and, as a result, the hospital was able to close a ward in the last year because fewer patients required a bed while they waited for test results.”