Once operational, the new Centre for Laboratory Medicine, will help to transform diagnostic services and testing right across West Yorkshire.
BAM began construction in April 2022, supporting the Trust to develop a world-class pathology building that is flexible, digital by design and that supports the delivery of net zero carbon. The new building fully mechanically ventilated with heat recovery systems to minimise power and re-use heat and is on track to achieve high certified standards in staff wellbeing and sustainability.
The new facility also incorporates a single, shared Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS) which will mean test requests can be ordered, tracked and results reported electronically to clinical services across West Yorkshire and Harrogate.
Currently, most of the Trust's pathology services are delivered from outdated facilities in the Old Medical School at the Leeds General Infirmary (LGI) as well as from St James's Hospital. Bringing these vital pathology services together into the new building will enable routine and direct access testing from fewer sites, create better working environments for staff, and make the continuity and transfer of care easier across the region.
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The centre will also become home to some pathology services from Mid Yorkshire Teaching NHS Trust and Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust as part of a wider regional pathology services transformation programme. This regional partnership, formed through a collaboration with the West Yorkshire Association of Acute Trusts (WYAAT), will support the delivery of innovative testing and diagnostics, using advanced equipment and new technologies to generate faster results for patients no matter where they live.
The building will become fully operational in 2024 following the installation of new equipment and technology and plans for an official opening are being made for autumn.
Andy Smithson, Project Manager, BAM, said: "We are proud to have built this new pathology laboratory for Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, which will make a difference to people across West Yorkshire.
"This scheme's success is the result of the outstanding collaboration between all parties working on the project, and the passion of the whole team to create a state-of-the-art laboratory facility."
Dame Linda Pollard, Chair of Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, said: "I am incredibly proud to see that this fantastic new facility has been finished. Pathology plays a crucial role in the delivery of frontline care and I am excited to see how, together with our colleagues in Calderdale and Mid Yorkshire, we can really drive innovative diagnostic testing across West Yorkshire.
"This impressive new building is a key milestone in our wider capital investment programme, as we start to progress our plans for a new hospital at the LGI. The completion of our new pathology laboratory is a catalyst for our proposed innovation village when the Old Medical School is vacated, bringing far-reaching economic benefits for the whole region."
Olorunda Rotimi Consultant Cellular Pathologist and Clinical Director for Pathology at Leeds Teaching Hospitals, said: "The Centre for Laboratory Medicine will play a crucial role in helping us all to meet the growing, regional demand for specialist treatment and care. Not only will state-of-the-art equipment and technologies be installed in the new healthcare facilities, but they will also further support professional development for our staff."
