Northern Care Alliance deploys digital pathology with Sectra

Greater Manchester Pathology Network has taken the next steps in its digitisation of pathology services, with the go-live of Sectra’s digital pathology solution at Northern Care Alliance NHS Trust.

The trust’s Oldham laboratory has completed technical go-live, with its Salford site set to follow. Collectively the laboratories provide a range of general and specialist pathology services that support diagnoses for patients in the region. This includes one of the largest dermatology departments in the country and gynaecology services that cover six hospitals.

The trust’s pathologists and biomedical scientists will become the latest in Greater Manchester to begin the process of swapping microscopes for high quality digital images accessible through an enterprise imaging system, provided under an existing agreement in the region with Sectra.

Professionals in seven laboratories across the network will use the enterprise imaging system, with Stockport NHS Foundation Trust having deployed the pathology module earlier in 2023. The same system is already in use in acute trusts across Greater Manchester, where it is used to view and analyse radiology imaging across the region’s imaging network.

Trust service manager for the cellular pathology and mortuary service Amanda Ogden said: “Digital pathology is the biggest thing in decades to happen in our laboratories and will revolutionise how we work together across former organisational boundaries to deliver services for patients, and how our clinical teams collaborate. Digital is at the top of the agenda. There is strong buy-in from our consultants who are excited by the possibilities for enhancing our diagnostics, but also for research and new discoveries.

“This will support training and improve how we share expertise. If we have an interesting case, we will no longer need to package slides and send them through the post. Instead, people across sites will have immediate access to high quality digital images. Modern ways of working will also help us to retain staff – from people starting their careers to people approaching retirement.”

Picture: Staff across sites will have immediate access to digital images via Sectra’s solution.

Published on page 4 of the March 2024 issue of RAD Magazine.