IT and Laboratory Information Management Systems (LIMS)
What is LIMS? LIMS are vital in pathology services to effectively manage requests, samples and reports.
IT infrastructure, hardware (to replace the nearly 30% of LIMS systems that are virtually obsolete), connectivity to link systems, and, for histopathology and haematology, digital imaging will be key to making services more stable and efficient. There have been some good examples of single LIMS rollouts in Wales that have made patients’ test results more accessible, and able to be reported across the country. Similarly, some regions have good systems that link many hospitals and indeed some acute and primary care systems. These models need to be widely adopted.
Our work in this area
We are pushing hard with NHS Improvement, NHS England, providers and the government to invest in this key area. We have had the chance to reinforce this at several fora, and Cancer Research UK is helping us also, since they recognise this as a key need for cancer patients.
We welcome the £12m investment in the Laboratory Information Management system in North and East Yorkshire and the recently announced £40 million investment in frontline technology for the NHS. Pathologists need better IT for day-to-day work including modern, functional laboratory information systems, voice recognition support and remote working software for multidisciplinary teams.
Also on the agenda
