Stockport NHS Foundation Trust is celebrating the latest “successful” launch of its Clinisys laboratory information system, supported by the Greater Manchester Pathology Network, joining Bolton, Tameside and Glossop, and Northern Care Alliance trusts on implementation.
According to Stockport, the new system offers better integration with other systems, meaning the potential to enhance test result processing, get results to colleagues more swiftly, and speed up patient diagnosis and treatment.
The latest launch is in laboratory blood sciences, following its introduction with microbiology and cellular pathology services last year. The trust highlights the collaborative work of the pathology department, clinical colleagues, digital colleagues, and local GPs, in ensuring the go-live proceeded with minimal disruption.
Calling the launch a “significant step forward” with digital laboratory infrastructure and referring to the benefits for the adaption of full digital integration for pathology, pathology operational lead Mark Gordon said: “This has been a major project with the previous system in place since 1992, and I’d like to say a huge thanks all our pathology and IT colleagues for the expertise and skill they have brought, as well as Clinysis and the Greater Manchester Pathology Network for making this launch a success.”
Wider trend: Digital diagnostics
Liverpool-based Spotlight Pathology has secured £1.4 million in seed funding to support the development of its AI-powered blood cancer diagnostics software. The funding round was co-led by the UK Innovation and Science Seed Fund (UKI2S) and Liverpool City Region Seed Fund. Funding will be used toward product development, regulation, and clinical adoption for the company’s AI software capable of analysing digital pathology images to support the earlier identification of blood cancers.
Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust’s planned care improvement plan for 2026/27 has outlined how digital has supported elective care, diagnostics, and cancer pathways. The trust reports entering 2026/27 “from a strengthened position” following its participation in the NHSE Q4 elective sprint looking at outpatient first appointments and procedures, which delivered improvements in RTT performance and waiting list size. This plan, it states, offers “a whole-pathway approach to planned care, addressing access, diagnostics, outpatient and surgical pathways, and reducing delays, cancellations and unwarranted variation”.
NHS England has published a preliminary market engagement notice seeking to explore the feasibility of establishing end-t0-end diagnostic testing pathways for the NHS Online virtual hospital service. The notice outlines NHS England’s intent to use information gathered from the engagement to inform the future commercial and sourcing strategy for diagnostic access, looking at the provider capabilities, digital maturity, and interoperability required to support digital test ordering, appointment booking, and digital notification of results. “Responses will be used solely to improve NHS Online’s understanding of the current market and potential delivery models that could support digitally enabled diagnostic access at scale,” NHSE states.
