State-of-the-Art Laboratory Automation Helps to Provide Superior Pathology Services in Ipswich

New cobas 8100 automated workflow management solution from Roche ensures rapid, high quality results for prompt clinical decisions and improved patient management

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,” explains Head BMS and Service Manager, 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.”

“Rapid turnaround of A&E test requests is essential for the hospital,” he continues. “This is 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. 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.”

“We are delighted to see the first cobas 8100 in the UK to go live at Ipswich Hospital,” comments, Ross Reynolds, Marketing Development Specialist, Roche. “The combination of Roche’s enhanced automation with the largest clinical chemistry and immunoassay test menu available in the market, means that the Ipswich laboratory will be able to meet, and exceed, the demands of their clinicians for faster diagnosis and monitoring of patients. The Roche solution will also allow for the expansion of services at Ipswich in the future due to its modular and flexible design.”

The Ipswich Hospital NHS Trust Chair, Ann Tate, and Chief Operating Officer, Neill Moloney, were present at the official unveiling of the cobas 8100. Ann Tate commented, “At Ipswich Hospital NHS Trust we aim to deliver the best quality of patient care to every patient, every day. This partnership with Roche, bringing cutting edge technology into the Clinical Biochemistry Laboratory, helps to seal this promise by ensuring the delivery of rapid and reliable test results 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.”

To find out how the cobas 8100 automated workflow series can enhance workflow management in your laboratory, please telephone 01444 256000 or visit the Roche website at www.roche.co.uk


Photograph Caption: Ipswich Hospital NHS Trust Chair, Ann Tate, and Chief Operating Officer, Neill Molone were present for the go live of the Roche cobas® 8100.