Hospital chiefs announce pathology plans

8:00am Sunday 20th May 2012 in News

Hospital chiefs announce pathology plans

Chief executives of four south-west London hospital trusts have announced plans to develop a single pathology service located at St George's Hospital.

In a joint statement, the chief executives of Croydon Health Services, Kingston Hospital, Epsom and St Helier's NHS Trusts and St George's Healthcare Trust, said the decision meant they could "develop and future proof our pathology services across south west London".

The decision to develop a new single pathology service was agreed at a Pathology Programme Board meeting on Thursday.

The recommendations will be presented to each of the Trust boards for approval in the coming weeks.

Patients should not experience a change in service and will continue to have their tests where they have them now- either at their local hospital or at their GP surgery, the board said.

However, the plans mean the behind the scenes laboratory aspects of the service will run from a single 'hub' for the majority of pathology work.

There will be labs at each acute hospital site to manage each Trust's very urgent work and to support services such as A&E.

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Hospital chiefs announce pathology plans