Southmead Hospital, part of the North Bristol NHS Trust, is the first site in the UK to go live with Roche's new Cobas 8000 series high-throughput modular analyser.
Located in the hospital's new automated laboratory, the system allows test results to be achieved more quickly and efficiently than before, according to Roche.
Mike Gillett, clinical biochemistry laboratory manager, said: 'The Cobas 8000 has replaced multiple analytical systems.
'We can now perform the majority of our routine tests in a single passage through the analytical system, using a single patient sample.
'The ability to load just one rack onto the Cobas 8000, together with the system's intelligent sample routing, will reduce our turnaround times significantly,' he added.
The speed and broad assay menu of the Cobas 8000 allows clinicians to obtain results for the majority of routine blood-test requests more quickly, which means that patients are able to receive the most appropriate directed treatment at the earliest opportunity.
The Cobas 8000 delivers this increased productivity for Southmead Hospital in a compact, modular system with a small footprint.
Gillett continued: 'The Cobas 8000 provides us with the opportunity to have a greater throughput-to-space ratio than before.
'It also allows us to future-proof the service that we provide.
'We anticipate our throughput to increase by at least a third as the new laboratory takes on more of the trust's workload, and the Cobas 8000 will allow us to continue to provide an efficient and timely service,' he said.
The Cobas 8000 at the North Bristol NHS Trust will be supplied under a managed laboratory service agreement, which covers multiple disciplines (biochemistry, haematology, microbiology, cellular pathology and immunology) across five hospital sites in four NHS trusts within the Avon Consortium (North Bristol, University Hospital Bristol, Royal United Hospital Bath and Weston Area Health).
Paul Virgo, managed equipment services project manager for the Avon Consortium, said: 'The Roche Managed Laboratory Service has allowed the provision of modern, standardised equipment across the four trusts.
'Combining the pathology business for four trusts in a single tender provides economically advantageous pricing structures to be agreed for the consortium, regardless of service size,' he added.
