Hampshire Hospitals has become the first Trust in the UK to adopt new state of the art technology which helps to identify a life threatening condition earlier. The Trust has become an early clinical adopter of the Accelerate PhenoTest kit.
The new diagnostic equipment means that staff can rapidly identify the cause of sepsis, which affects 260,000 people in the UK every year. Early detection can save lives, helping clinicians to provide targeted and more effective treatment sooner.
Consultant microbiologist and clinical lead for microbiology and infection at Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Nick Cortes, said: “This is an incredibly exciting time as we are always looking to explore innovative ways to improve patient care through diagnostics.
“This technology brings important benefits to patients as we will be able to get their exact diagnosis earlier, investigate the root cause of sepsis more accurately and get them onto a treatment that we know works, sooner. It will also help to reduce the number of antibiotics being used to treat patients, helping to combat antibiotic resistance.”
So far, the testing kit has been used in 170 cases and early examples have shown that it is having a positive impact on patient care, giving clinicians diagnostic certainty when treating deteriorating patients and preventing the need for some invasive investigations.
Alex Whitfield, chief executive of Hampshire Hospitals, which runs Basingstoke and North Hampshire Hospital, Royal Hampshire County Hospital, in Winchester, and Andover War Memorial Hospital, said: “We are thrilled to be the first hospital in the UK, and one of only a handful in Europe, to take on this new method of diagnostics as it is just one of the ways we are striving to always deliver the best possible care to our patients.
“As the NHS turns 70 this year, it’s remarkable to think how far technology has come to enable our staff to make life changing and lifesaving decisions every day. Technology and innovation play a huge part in the NHS, and I am exceptionally proud of our team for being part of this and for being pioneers in their field.”
