Work on a new regional pathology unit in Leeds has been completed, paving the way for a more-joined-up approach to diagnostic and testing services.

Commissioned by Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, the pathology facility was constructed by BAM and, once fully operational, will help to transform services across West Yorkshire. 

Named the Centre for Laboratory Medicine, it will also become home to some pathology services from Mid Yorkshire Teaching NHS Trust and Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust as part of a wider regional pathology services transformation programme. 

This partnership, formed through a collaboration with the West Yorkshire Association of Acute Trusts (WYAAT), will support the delivery of innovative testing and diagnostics, using advanced equipment and new technologies to generate faster results for patients, no matter where they live.   

Construction began in April 2022 and has seen 338 pieces of glass fitted to form the windows and a further 1,357 individual rainscreen cladding panels fitted to the façade.  

The centre is one of the key new build projects in the Leeds Teaching Hospital’s Building the Leeds Way programme of capital investment and improvements.  

Currently, most of the trust’s pathology services are delivered from outdated facilities in the Old Medical School at the Leeds General Infirmary (LGI) as well as from St James’s Hospital.   

The new building will bring many of these services together into one purpose-built facility and, once vacated, the Old Medical School will be repurposed as part of a plan to use surplus estate at the LGI to develop an innovation village which is expected to deliver up to 4,000 new jobs, more than 500 new homes and almost £13billion in net present value.   

Bringing these vital pathology services together into the new building will enable routine and direct access testing from fewer sites and will create better working environments for staff.  

Dame Linda Pollard, chairman of Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, said: “I am incredibly proud to see that this fantastic new facility has been finished.

“Pathology plays a crucial role in the delivery of frontline care and I am excited to see how, together with our colleagues in Calderdale and Mid Yorkshire, we can really drive innovative diagnostic testing across West Yorkshire.  

“This impressive new building is a key milestone in our wider capital investment programme, as we start to progress our plans for a new hospital at the LGI.

“The completion of our new pathology laboratory is a catalyst for our proposed innovation village when the Old Medical School is vacated, bringing far-reaching economic benefits for the whole region.” 

Olorunda Rotimi, consultant cellular pathologist and clinical director for pathology at Leeds Teaching Hospitals, added: “The centre will play a crucial role in helping us all to meet the growing, regional demand for specialist treatment and care.

“Not only will state-of-the-art equipment and technologies be installed in the new healthcare facilities, but they will also further support professional development for our staff.”   

The new building is flexible, digital by design, and supports the delivery of net zero carbon.

It is fully mechanically ventilated, with heat recovery systems to minimise power and re-use heat and is on track to achieve high certified standards in staff wellbeing and sustainability.  

It will also incorporate a single, shared Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS) which will mean test requests can be ordered, tracked, and results reported electronically to clinical services across West Yorkshire and Harrogate.  

The building will become fully operational in 2024 following the installation of new equipment and technology and plans for an official opening are being made for autumn.