Roche Improves Workflow and Future Proofs Peterborough City Hospital

The brand new Peterborough City Hospital has been equipped with state-of-the-art equipment and software from Roche thanks to an innovative Managed Laboratory Service (MLS). The Roche MLS covers the Clinical Biochemistry and Immunology laboratory and not only enables efficient operation, but also ensures that the Hospital will be able to accommodate expansion and future development of the service.

The Roche MLS covers analytical equipment, maintenance, reagents, and supporting software across the two hospital sites of Peterborough and Stamford Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. At Peterborough District Hospital, this includes two Roche cobas® 8000 modular analyzer series(with ISE, clinical chemistry and immunochemistry modules) – each with a throughput of approximately 4,000 tests per hour – a MODULAR® PRE-ANALYTICS module and a cobas p 501 post- analytical unit.

Keith Palmer, Head Biomedical Scientist (Clinical Biochemistry and Immunology) at Peterborough City Hospital, comments, “The Roche MLS has enabled us to acquire state of the art technology, allowing the merger of previously separate routine and STAT modular platforms. This allows simpler, more efficient sample handling and sample routing, and has allowed the department to implement lean working and to review our skill mix.”

“The configuration allows for considerable expansion over the next few years,” he continues. “This will accommodate increased volume and further extension of the core day, as appropriate. The configuration also allows for built-in system resilience in the event of hardware downtime, ensuring minimal impact on sample turn round.”

“We have benefited from a closer working relationship and collaboration with Roche in the areas of support, problem resolution and future development. The MLS also manages risk, with regards to significant changes in work volumes and repertoire, and allows for technology refresh as and when appropriate.”

The on-line addition of a Roche cobas p 501 post-analytical unit, an automated sample retrieval and storage module for archiving samples after analysis, has resulted in some significant time savings in the laboratory.

“The cobas p 501 post-analytical module has automated a previously manual storage, tracking and retrieval system,” Keith explains. “This allows our operators to be released for other, more appropriate duties. We anticipate that the laboratory computer system will be able to communicate with the module so that, when necessary, samples are presented for further analysis automatically.”

In addition to improving the laboratory analysis of samples, the Roche MLS also includes the cobas IT 1000 Point of Care (POC) application for the improved management of POC testing devices and data.

“ cobas IT 1000 links POC devices and results to enabling capture and result reporting via the laboratory computer system. We are then able to populate the pathology patient record to ensure that a more complete picture is available to clinicians. It also helps us to manage user competency as part of our regular user assessments this is essential for controlling access to remote devices which is in line with governance standards.”