iPOCT NEWS
Unilabs iPOCT takes on the challenge of the UK National Health Service (NHS)
On 18th and 19th November Claire Pridige and Mark Ashton from iPOCT attended the NHS Alliance conference. This is the premier event ideas and innovations in the UK public sector for primary care. It was very encouraging to talk to doctors and healthcare managers who for the first time are looking seriously at investing in point-of-care solutions to treat patients in the community .
iPOCT also featured in a TV programme that was made for the conference, showing important innovations for primary care.
New Managing Director for Unilabs UK
Unilabs is pleased to announce the appointment of Andrew Lunt as Managing Director of its UK subsidiary. After a successful career in the retail and food and beverage sectors, Andy joined Nuffield Health in 2002. He held a number of posts, both local operational and corporate strategic, and was appointed Chief Executive of Nuffield's Diagnostics and Mobile Services Division in 2008, with the responsibility for leading the turn round and repositioning of this business. Andy therefore brings a wealth of experience to supplement Unilabs' accredited and successful Point-of-Care Pathology solutions, and the renowned cellular pathology business marketed as IHS. The appointment marks a clear demonstration of the intention of Unilabs to secure a market-leading UK position.
Unilabs is a pan-European diagnostics company, is a leading supplier of laboratory and radiology services, and is the market leader in terms of delivering over 200 outsourced pathology contracts across Europe.
Straight to the point: iPOCT first to gain UK accreditation for point of care testing
Unilabs iPOCT has become the first laboratory to be granted UK accreditation for point-of-care testing. This accreditation gives confidence in the competence of iPOCT's innovative, customer-focused testing service, and may ultimately lead to improved clinical care for patients.
Recent government reports recommended that POCT providers participate in clinical audit and other clinical governance activities. Additionally the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) published a report Management and Use of IVD Point of Care Test Devices DB2010 (02), recommending the assessment of POCT services by an external accreditation body. ISO 22870:2006 'Point-Of-Care Testing (POCT) - Requirements for Quality and Competence' provides the Quality Framework for organisations to adopt when managing POCT activities. In addition, Clinical Pathology Accreditation UK Ltd (CPA) has recently published POCT standards.
Unilabs iPOCT is the first and only organisation in the UK to be granted accreditation for its POCT services. The accreditation was granted to ISO15189 and ISO 22870 by United Kingdom Accreditation Services (UKAS) and by CPA to the recently published CPA POCT standards.
Jane Beaumont, Director of Accreditation at UKAS presented the certificate of accreditation to Paula Connor National Manager Clinical Laboratory Medicine UK
iPOCT recognise that access to rapid MRSA testing is a key opportunity for healthcare providers, where the benefits of rapid results may include improved utilisation of theatre sessions and hospital beds. iPOCT are now able to offer our rapid MRSA testing at the point of care.
Obtaining a rapid MRSA test result is essential before admitting a patient. Having results in approximately one hour can offer flexibility to hospitals and Consultants wishing to add patients to their theatre list the next day or the same day and can avoid cancelling patients at the last minute because results are not back from the laboratory.
Checking pregnancy before surgery
The National Patient Safety Agency (NPSA) recently issued a rapid response report (NPSA/2010/RRR011) relating to checking pregnancy before surgery. The report reminds organisations that pre-operative assessment must include a check for possible pregnancy, of all relevant female patients, in the immediate preoperative period. iPOCT are able to offer a fully managed service for rapid pregnancy testing at the point of care, ensuring that all relevant female patients are tested in the immediate pre-operative period to ensure confirmation of results prior to surgery.
- Ability to process tests on site
- Accurate, rapid results
- Quicker to process tests than to refer to local lab
- Printed laboratory style report
- Saves staff time
- Reduces time spent chasing up and sorting results
- Eliminates transcription errors
- Immediate clinical decisions
- May reduce extended length of stay
All the above contribute to reducing costs for the entire patient episode
Why should I choose Unilabs iPOCT?
iPOCT is part of Unilabs, one of Europe's largest and most rapidly growing diagnostics organisations with a strong reputation for excellence in public & private healthcare. We have a proven track record with a European footprint and an extensive UK network.
Unilabs vision has accurate and responsive close to patient testing as its cornerstone. Unilabs has an ambitious agenda to continuously develop point of care testing throughout the European operation. The delivery of iPOCT's total support solution for point of care testing offers 'end to end' connectivity, within an N3 compliant environment. The solution provides network and data security, with 24 hour monitoring of all connections, capture of all test data, equipment and operator information.
All patient results are reviewed by our Consultant Clinical Scientist. Our friendly support team actively engage with users on a regular basis.
We have a dedicated team of field and office based staff, including; Consultant Clinical Scientist, HPC registered Biomedical Scientists with many years experience in POCT, Quality Manager, Quality Coordinator POCT Trainer, Client Services coordinator, and IT Manager. The team is led and managed by the National Manager for Laboratory Medicine.
Overall we offer an extensive testing menu and flexible customised solutions with excellent customer service and value for money.
How long does it take to process a test?
The most common tests are available within 2 minutes depending on the test required. However, now larger panels of tests are available that can process more than 10 tests in less than 15 minutes.
- Urea & Electrolytes incl Creatinine
- Blood Gases and Electrolytes
- Glucose
- CRP
- Lipids
- Liver Function Tests
- Full Blood Count
- Haemoglobin
- INR
- Urine analysis & Pregnancy Test
- MRSA
And in development for 2010:
- HbA1c
- Cardiac Markers (inc BNP & Troponin)
- D-Dimer
- Drugs Of Abuse
