A vital piece of equipment essential for tuberculosis (TB) testing in Lancashire and South Cumbria has been bought for East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust (ELHT) thanks to a generous donation to the hospital’s charity ELHT&Me.
The benchtop centrifuge, a laboratory device used for processing a range of sample types, has been gifted to the Department of Microbiology at Royal Blackburn Teaching Hospital, thanks to a substantial donation of £2m received from The Kay Family Foundation last November.
The money has been distributed across several departments, to enable enhancements in patient care and investment in cutting-edge technology that will have an impact for years to come.
TB is a bacterial infection that usually affects the lungs. It can be treated with antibiotics but can be serious if not identified and managed quickly.
ELHT currently tests approximately 50 blood samples per day using the centrifuge. The updated machine, not much bigger than the size of a microwave, takes more samples per cycle and is quicker than the previous one the team were using.
Deputy Chief Integration Officer at ELHT, Arif Patel said: “This small, but significant machine is essential for a lab and unlike most things in Microbiology isn’t something that can be done manually.
“The updated machine is more productive and slicker, which means patients are getting their results back sooner and able to get, if needed, their treatment plan started sooner, enabling us to provide an overall better patient experience.”
The new, advanced centrifuge will not just service ELHT patients but also patients from from Trusts across Lancashire and South Cumbria.
Arif added: “ELHT are in a unique position as we are the only Trust in the region to test for TB.
“With TB being highly contagious it needs to be tested in its own lab and at Royal Blackburn we have the resources to be able to provide that service. Therefore, we are not just responsible for hundreds of patients but thousands. Having this new equipment is absolutely essential and we can’t thank the donor enough.”
The Kay Family Foundation is dedicated to supporting charities to improve people’s health and wellbeing, the relief of hardship and promoting community activities and conservation for the benefit of the people of East Lancashire.
If you would like to support the hospital charity through a donation or organising a fundraising event, please visit www.elhtandme.co.uk
