Minister opens £90m hospital laboratory

PA TIENTS IN Sco tland are to benefit fro m a new £ 90 millio n ho sp ital labo rato ry which o p ened yesterday.

Based at the So uthern General camp us in Glasgo w, it is o ne o f the mo st mo dern facilities in the UK and will enable gro undbreaking research and p io neering treatments to be develo p ed.

Facilities include a genetics labo rato ry, which is develo p ing tests to allo w treatments tailo red to a p atient’s DNA make-up , a blo o d sciences dep artment, which p erfo rms a wide range o f analytical tests o n blo o d samp les, and a range o f tests to aid diagno sis o f medical co nditio ns.

The lab is equipped with state-of-the-art technology to deliver diagnostic services for biochemistry, haematology, microbiology, genetics and pathology.

It has a staff of more than 700 people.

By centralising labora- tory services in one place, samples can be processed quicker, so that patients get faster results.

A s he officially opened the building yesterday, Health Secretary A lex Neil said: “This new facility will bring together a whole range of laboratory services under one roof and provide NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde with a modern purpose-built facility which will play a key role in supporting the New South Glasgow Hospitals Campus site.

“In addition, it will bring real benefits for patients, by providing faster diagnostic tests and through the development of pioneering medical breakthroughs.

“The completion of the lab building is just the first step in this exciting journey for patients across the west of Scotland.

“Centralising services for all ages on a single site will ensure that everyone can access the widest possible range of specialist services, and will also bring with it increased efficiency, shorter waiting times and better care.”

The lab is just one part of the £842 million publiclyfunded project which will see an integrated children’s and adult hospital built on the site of the city’s current Southern General Hospital.

With 1,109 beds, the adult hospital will sit alongside a 256-bed children’s hospital, providing maternity, paediatric and acute services on a single site.

The South Glasgow Hospitals Campus is part of a programme worth more than £2 billion which is being invested in improving NHS facilities over the next three years.

NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde chairman A ndrew Robertson said: “The new laboratory building is the first stage of a building programme that will transform the Southern General campus into a world-class facility.”

Alex Neil (left) and senior specialist in biochemistry David Cunningham.