Future Pathology Managed Service

Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (GHFT) provides acute hospital services from two large district general hospitals, Cheltenham General Hospital (CGH) and Gloucestershire Royal Hospital (GRH). Maternity Services are also provided at Stroud Maternity Hospital.

GHFT Pathology services are critical in supporting the delivery of a high-quality, first-class clinical service that can meet the demand and needs of the acute Trust and our One Gloucestershire partners (Gloucestershire Primary care, Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust), South Worcestershire Primary care, private healthcare providers and other out of county NHS healthcare organisations. The Pathology disciplines are spread across two sites (GRH and CGH), with Haematology, Blood transfusion, and Chemical Pathology provided at both sites due to the acute clinical services at each site. Cellular Pathology services are consolidated and are based at CGH, and Immunology and Microbiology services are consolidated and are based at GRH.

Several managed service contracts are due to expire, the most significant ones in October 2026. As a minimum, replacement of the current contracts must ensure ongoing service provision, as Pathology services are a fundamental diagnostic and prognostic service that supports every aspect of patient care, where 70% to 80% of clinical decisions and 95% of chronic disease pathways are reliant upon input from Pathology. However, national and local demand for Pathology services has increased and become more complex over the last 10 years, and the ability to deliver Pathology services fit for the future, is currently constrained by the estate occupied by GHFT Pathology disciplines. Each discipline has unique estate (e.g. space, storage capacity, temperature control, layout) and workflow challenges, that need to be reconfigured to deliver the operational efficiency and lean process required in a modern-day NHS laboratory, and to provide income generating capacity through analytical suites that offer bespoke analysis to other NHS organisations, organisations carrying out research and innovation, other areas of the private sector (e.g. sports medicine, veterinarians and private patients).

GHFT Pathology disciplines:

• Cellular Pathology (includes Histopathology and Cytology)
• Chemical Pathology
• Haematology, Immunology and Blood Transfusion
• Infection Sciences (includes Microbiology, Serology and Molecular Microbiology)
• Point of Care Testing

Our proposed scope is looking to include Pathology Managed Services relating to all Pathology disciplines with the remit to cover but not limited to:

• Capital, Instruments & Devices
• Reagents, Chemicals & Consumables
• Maintenance
• IT, AI & Software Integration
• Estate upgrades