The
Royal Liverpool University Hospitals NHS
Trust Haematology Department's main service
laboratories are located in the Royal
Liverpool University Hospital with satellite
laboratories at both Broadgreen Hospital and
the Liverpool Women’s Hospital. Together
they undertake over 850,000 tests per year
for this Trust, other local hospital Trusts
and for general practitioners in the local
community.
The
Department
also acts as a regional
reference centre for specialists tests,
particularly those involved in the diagnosis
of haematological malignancy and the
diagnosis and monitoring of haemostatic thrombotic conditions. Laboratories from as
far afield as West Lancashire and North
Wales rely on these services. Close links
with the Liverpool University Haematology
Department also ensure an active research
and development programme.
The Department has over
100 staff and has seen significant increases in workload in
common with the national trend. An element of this
additional workload stems from the mandatory requirement,
common to all NHS Pathology Departments, to seek
accreditation to the Clinical Pathology Accreditation UK
Ltd's Standards for the Medical Laboratory. The standard
requires rigorous control of Standard Operating Procedures,
policies and other important documents with regular review,
evidence of appropriate approvals and verification of
distribution and receipt.
With an ever-increasing body of documentation, a paper-based
system was unworkable. The Laboratory's Manager,
Chris Strange took on the job of finding an electronic
solution. The chosen solution had to be easy to use and
capable of rapid deployment with impending CPA audits
offering only a brief window of opportunity for
implementation.
EQMS from Qualsys was selected from a shortlist of three
applications. "We chose EQMS because it is fully
web-based, easier to use, and fulfils all the requirements
of the CPA standard" said Chris "Furthermore, Qualsys
provided us with a comprehensive implementation plan and
will guide us through the transition from paper to
electronic systems. This will be invaluable to us as we
roll out the system across all laboratories." |
