CitySprint News

The presentation was focused on the subject of "Improving transparency and tracking of pathology samples" and discussed CitySprint Healthcare's new innovative track and trace solution - PathTrak.

The theme of the 2011 event, which took place from 23rd to 26th May at Harrogate International Centre, was ‘Focus on Change', to reflect the changes that are anticipated in the way pathology services are delivered in the UK. The event was attended by key members of the scientific community.

Pathology services lie at the heart of the diagnostics services provided to patients. They are essential to the delivery of many of the national priorities and targets for the NHS. It is estimated that 70-80 percent of all healthcare decisions affecting diagnosis or treatment involve a pathology investigation and that pathology costs the NHS in the order of £2.5 billion a year, representing nearly 4 percent of total NHS expenditure . The secure and timely delivery of such samples is therefore of vital importance to the NHS in terms of patient care and cost.

Andrew Turner, CitySprint's Healthcare Director, was invited to speak at the event on the subject of "Improving transparency and tracking of pathology samples".

During his presentation, Andrew discussed the recommendations made by Lord Carter in his review of NHS pathology services in England for the Department of Health, which included:

• The implementation of electronic system for end-to-end management of specimen logistics
• A unique patient identifying number for samples

These measures would reduce the risk of mistaken identity and missing samples and the need to unnecessarily re-bleed patients. This would thereby improve sample tracking and improve workload demands, which in turn would smooth out the flow of samples into the testing laboratory.

Andrew then went on to discuss how CitySprint has addressed the recommendations in Lord Carter's report by developing and implementing a new bespoke secure GPS track and trace solution called PathTrak. PathTrak provides a comprehensive patient specimen / sample collection and delivery management service from GP surgeries or clinics to a Central Specimen Laboratory.

With PathTrak, once a job is received it is allocated to one of CitySprint's couriers and the details are sent to them on their handheld GPS device called a CityTrakker. Upon arrival at the collection point the courier uses his CityTrakker to scan the on-site location barcode, before scanning in the barcode of each individual sample. The courier then repeats this process at each collection process on route. When the courier arrives at the delivery destination, he scans the on-site location barcode, before scanning out each item.  Clients are able to log onto CitySprint's web based PathTrak dashboard at any time throughout the process and track each sample in real time.

The main benefit of PathTrak is that it eliminates the risk of samples getting lost in transit or being delivered to the wrong destination. This technology ensures that if an on-site location barcode and sample barcode do not match, upon collection or delivery, the error will be flagged immediately and the courier will be unable to continue until the error is rectified. In addition, the transparency that PathTrak provides means that there is a secure chain of custody from collection to delivery, therefore providing both the sender and receiver a 100% electronic chain of custody throughout the transportation process. It also enables those in the laboratory to see what samples are en route, thus enabling them to manage their workload more effectively.

Another key benefit of PathTrak is that it will help to drive down the costs associated with transporting the specimens across your GP and client sites.   It is estimated that PathTrak can reduce annual transportation costs by up-to 20%.

After the event Andrew commented, "Focus 2011 was a huge success. Delegates were impressed by our extensive experience and understanding of the sector, as well as our range of healthcare transportation services. Our new PathTrak solution, which ensures a secure chain of custody during the transportation of pathology samples, was well received by delegates and generated a lot of interest and we look forward to working with a number of those delegates who came to visit us".

For more information about CitySprint's Healthcare services, visit www.citysprint.co.uk/healthcare