- How many laboratories (please include breakdown of sites/disciplines if possible) are there in your Trust?
Blackburn – Blood Sciences, Cellular Pathology, Microbiology
Burnley – Blood Sciences only
- What is the headcount of laboratory staff (please include breakdown of sites/departments/roles if possible) in your Trust?
Blood sciences 78, Cellular Pathology 43, Microbiology 37, others 22
- How many patient samples or ‘reportable laboratory activities’ are processed (please include breakdown of sites/departments if possible) by your Trust’s laboratories each year (please include the three most recent available years’ numbers)?
Blood Sciences 10,214,314 tests
Cellular Pathology 182,605 tests
Microbiology 1,313,486 tests
Data period April 2018 to March 2019
- What number (and percentage) of your Trust’s patients have a sample processed in a laboratory as part of their treatment?
Please see below
- How many patient samples are taken by your Trust but not processed/analysed by your Trust’s laboratory staff? (IE: outsourced)
Approx 290,000 tests (2018-19)
- If any, where are outsourced patient samples sent? (please include company names/addresses and number of samples sent each year)
Please see below
Our data systems do not capture the level of required detail to say the number/percentage of patients that have a sampled processed in a laboratory as part of their treatment or the breakdown of samples that are outsourced. In this instance it will cost more than the appropriate limit to consider your request. The appropriate limit is specified in regulations and for the Trust this is set at £450. This represents the estimated cost of one person spending 2½ working days in determining whether the Trust holds the information, and locating, retrieving and extracting the information. Consequently the Trust is not obliged under Section 12 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 to respond to your request.