Pathology partnership forms to serve population of east and south east London and beyond
On Saturday 1 May 2021, the pathology services of three London NHS Trusts will come together to form the NHS East and South East London Pathology Partnership. The new organisation, jointly owned by Barts Health NHS Trust, Homerton University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust will be one of the largest pathology providers in the NHS.
The new partnership, which will be hosted by Barts Health, brings together the strengths of each of these trusts’ pathology services into a single NHS organisation, which will be entirely focussed upon the provision of pathology. Its purpose is to provide patients and clinicians with a high-quality, cost-effective service that ensures the long-term sustainability of NHS pathology services in east and south east London and beyond.
Tom Butler, clinical lead for the NHS East and South East London Pathology Partnership said: “From shared learning and access to the latest testing technologies to professional development opportunities for staff and the resilience of more robust services, this partnership will bring many benefits to local communities and its staff, while keeping pathology testing within the NHS. Our pathology labs do amazing things every day that benefit thousands of patients, and we are excited by the opportunity this partnership offers to do more.”
Andrew Knott, managing director of the NHS East and South East London Pathology Partnership said: “Pathology plays an essential role in approximately 70% of patient pathways. The creation of a shared network for pathology across east and south east London reflects the wider NHS pathology strategy to meet the changing needs of patients and to be able to take full advantage of new diagnostic tests and techniques as they emerge.”
The partnership will operate laboratories across seven hospital sites: Homerton University Hospital, Newham Hospital, Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Royal London Hospital, St. Bartholomew’s Hospital, University Hospital Lewisham, Whipps Cross Hospital.
Minimal service changes will happen across these seven sites when the partnership forms on 1 May. Following this, a series of service changes are planned for the partnership, so that by December 2023 all laboratories will operate as a single network, on a single, shared laboratory information management system.