Pathology

The Lancashire and South Cumbria pathology service is a collaborative hub and spoke pathology network made up of four acute provider organisations who together provide diagnostic testing services for over 1.8 million people living in Lancashire and South Cumbria.

The four partner Trusts involved in the Lancashire and South Cumbria pathology service are:

• University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust (UHMB)
• East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust (ELTH)
• Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (LTH)
• Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (BTH).

Each Trust has delegated matters for the development of a single service to be managed through a joint committee arrangement (the LSC Provider Collaborative Board), which in turn has delegated those matters to one of its sub-committees (the Pathology Network Board) with delegated authority to the Lancashire and South Cumbria pathology service to deliver.

Working towards a single pathology service for Lancashire and South Cumbria

The NHS England National Pathology Transformation Programme (NHSE NPTP), brought about by the Carter Review 2016 and the NHS Long Term Plan 2019 proposed 27 hub and spoke pathology networks, of which the Lancashire and South Cumbria (L&SC) pathology service is one. The aim behind these proposals is for each pathology network to consolidate its services.

Our vision

Our aim is to deliver excellence in laboratory medicine. Over the next few years, we will consolidate and grow our specialist, teaching and research portfolio, providing a comprehensive world-class diagnostic service for all stakeholders across the Integrated Care System.

To achieve this, we will focus on:

• Integration with clinical services
• Improved performance and outcomes
• A sustainable and happy workforce
• Digital maturity
• Value for money
• System resilience.

This will be enabled by working collaboratively to achieve network maturity and through investment in our estate.

Our strategic objectives

Our strategic objectives as a developing network include a focus on several key areas including:

• Network governance
• Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT)
• Diagnostic model delivery
• Point of care testing
• Genomics
• Recovery and restoration
• Research and innovation
• Pan-pathology procurement
• Digitising pathology
• Long-term workforce planning.

Contact us

For more information about pathology services in Lancashire and South Cumbria, please contact LSCPathology@lthtr.nhs.uk.