Work on a new pathology laboratory at St James’s Hospital Leeds is to begin in March.
Planned to be ready for use by the autumn of 2023 the building is designed to be fully mechanically ventilated with heat recovery, together with systems to minimise power and re-use heat.
Final approval from government of Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust’s full business case means that the work can commence. Site preparation work was completed in September by demolition contractor Connell Brothers, and BAM Construction were announced as preferred design & build contractor.
The trust’s wider estate plans include the development of a new adult’s hospital and new home for Leeds Children’s Hospital together with centralising neonatal and maternity services on the Leeds General Infirmary site together with supporting an ‘innovation district’ for the city by making full use of the remaining estate.
Most of the pathology services, which are presently housed in outdated facilities, at the Old Medical School at Leeds General Infirmary, together with some of those delivered from St James’s University Hospital will be consolidated in the new laboratory .
“The pathology teams have carried out extraordinary work during the recent pandemic, despite working in outdated facilities, when delivering large numbers of daily test results for the regions hospitals. The new Laboratory will allow them to work with this new state-of-the-art equipment” said the trust’s director of finance Simon Worthington.