Pathology Lims selected to help modernise and provide the cornerstone to integrated care records service roll out at Brighton and Sussex University Hospital NHS Trust
Following a rigorous fast track procurement process, Sysmed Solutions's WinPath pathology laboratory information management system (Lims) has been selected to help modernise and provide the cornerstone to integrated care records service (ICRS) roll out at Brighton and Sussex University Hospital NHS Trust (BSUH).
With the merger in 2002 of the former Brighton Health Care and the acute services of Mid Sussex NHS Trusts to form BSUH, it was decided that a single modern pathology Lims was essential to enable fully integrated and standardised working practices across the two campuses.
WinPath will replace two separate incumbent systems to provide the functionality and flexibility required by the trust, in line with the Pathology Modernisation strategy.
"The functionality of WinPath was thoroughly reviewed against other market players and it was decided by all personnel, both within pathology and IM and T departments, that it met and/or exceeded all our technical specifications in line with our modernisation strategy," said Graham Crawford, acting deputy director of IM and T at the trust.
"We also knew that this Lims could be readily supported both internally by our IM and T department and externally by Sysmed, and ensured that it would be compatible with the technical standards which will be required when ICRS is implemented." One of the key features of WinPath's functionality is its extensive rules-based testing module for auto-validation of haematology and biochemistry results.
This was a key specification since it will facilitate further modernisation of the Trust's pathology laboratories by minimising manual intervention to enable high throughput testing on automated instrumentation.
Another key factor within the procurement was the fact that the two incumbent Lims had to be replaced rapidly to ensure efficient and standardised working practices within the two pathology departments of the merged trust.
Facilitator of the fast track procurement process, Alan Carter of Hill, Dunn Associates, explained, "With ours and Sysmed's assistance the trust was able to cut to the chase and only focus on systems already known and used within the NHS and, therefore, potentially suitable for its needs.
This meant that the Trust was able to gain the system it required with the minimum amount of time and expense involved."
