GSTT Analyser Upgrades
GSTT Full Blood Count Haematology Analysers Upgrade
This page is dedicated to providing service users with information about the new full blood count (FBC) analytical instruments being installed in Guy’s and St Thomas’ hospitals. This is part of a five-year programme to transform pathology services across south east London, which includes major investment into the replacement of ageing laboratory analysers with modern equipment.
The change in FBC analysers is relevant to colleagues working at both hospitals, local GP practices (mostly those in Lambeth and Southwark boroughs), and a small number of NHS organisations from outside south east London which refer samples for specialist testing services.
The service swapped to the new FBC analysers on 5 October 2023 along side the introduction of Epic, the new Electronic Health Record (EHR). While the project has been carefully planned to cause minimal disruption, there are some minor planned delays during the swap over. Synnovis colleagues are working closely with speciality clinical leads to ensure that clinicians are aware and that plans are made for ongoing patient management where appropriate.
On this page you can find helpful questions and answers about the upgrade.
If you have any general queries about this programme or can’t find the information you need, please email LetsTalk@synnovis.co.uk
All clinical queries about testing services or results should always be referred to the dedicated Synnovis Customer Services Team at customerservices@synnovis.co.uk or 0204 513 7300.
GSTT Haematology Reference Ranges
Due to the change in FBC analysers, some tube types will no longer be accepted.
Click here to read the dedicated bulletin for Trust clinicians.
Full Blood Count Haematology Analysers Upgrade Q&A
We installed eight new Sysmex full blood count analysers across Guy’s and St Thomas’ Hospital including the Cancer Centre to replace the existing aged instruments. This project will conclude the harmonisation of haematology analytical platforms across the south east London network. We swapped over to the new analysers on 5 October 2023.
This change will affect clinicians working at GSTT and 92 GP practices, mostly within Southwark and Lambeth. We anticipate minimal disruption to our service users, but there will be minor delays during the swap out. We will communicate with our users during the swap out day and subsequent days where necessary to keep stakeholders informed.
The equipment currently used in laboratories across south east London was in major need of investment. This is impacting on test turnaround times and there was also a variation of analytical equipment used.
This will be the final step to harmonise the laboratory equipment used across the service which will increase resilience and the same reference ranges across south east London.
The new Sysmex analysers went live on Thursday 5 October 2023 at the same time as EPIC Beaker, this is necessary as the Sysmex interface is being created with the new EPIC Beaker IT system.
We have worked with leads of the affected departments and general practice representatives. Over the next month members of the project team will attend departmental meetings to further inform clinicians and identify any areas which may be impacted which do not yet have answers in place. If you have any further questions or concerns about how this change may affect you please contact us by email at LetsTalk@synnovis.co.uk
You may experience some delay in full blood count turnaround times during and after the swap out on 5 October. Any critical results will continue to be telephoned through to the relevant clinical team(s). There maybe minor changes to reference ranges which may slightly alter the way you interpret results. These will be communicated to you in September at the end of the verification process.
Until the verification process is complete we are unable to tell you what, if any, changes there will be to the reference ranges, but they will be very minor. These changes will be communicated in September. We will identify any potential impact or risk associated with any reference range change and ensure the appropriate preparations are put in place.
During the transition to the new Sysmex analysers, there will be a disruption to the service overnight on 4 October which we anticipate will be up to 5 hours, resulting in a delay in issuing results of up to 1 hour. The laboratory team will prioritise all urgent samples during the period. Following this planned disruption, the service will return to business as usual.
You can find out further information about the Haematology full blood count analyser upgrade programme on this web page which will be updated as the upgrade progresses. You can also speak to the project team by emailing LetsTalk@Synnovis.co.uk
The clinical risks are related to delays and changes in reference ranges. During the planned disruption, samples from the Cancer Centre will be processed at the main Guy’s laboratory to ensure continuity of care for day patients. Any reference range changes will be communicated put in September after the verification.
Feedback received from Trust and GP practices after the biochemistry equipment change has been acted on.
Fewer tests will be affected by the Haematology upgrade than the Biochemistry equipment upgrade; only FBC is.
Full Blood Count reference ranges will be consistent across the Synnovis laboratories and any change will be minor and communicated to the users in a timely manner.
No, dual reporting of results is not required.
Last updated: 12/09/2023
