Pathology

Our key aim in the Pathology department is to ensure that our clinical laboratories deliver relevant services for the diagnosis and treatment of the patients we serve. We have an emphasis on continually increasing efficiency and working to develop new innovative services that can improve patient care.

Pathology uses different areas of science to help study human disease. Our department offers a full range of services to our hospitals and also the GPs in our area.

We are a UKAS (United Kingdom Accreditation Service) accredited medical laboratory. Our UKAS number is 8407 accredited to ISO15189:2012, details of which can be found on our UKAS schedule.

Pathology is divided up into a number of specialist laboratories and our services include:

• Biochemistry
• Haematology
• Histopathology
• Immunology
• Microbiology
• Toxicology

For general information please see our Pathology handbook. This covers key information for patients and users such as location and opening times of laboratories, instruction for completion of request form, preparation of patient, collecting samples, transport of samples, patient consent. Further detailed information about our services can be found on the Black Country Pathology Services website.

For more information about disabled access for this service, please click here.

Team

Clinical Biochemistry
Heads of Department – Dr Helen Ashby & Pervaz Mohammed
Specialist Biochemistry Service Manager – Vanessa Lane

Haematology
Head of Department – Dr Shivan Pancham
Blood Sciences Manager – Simon Brown

Histopathology
Head of Department – Dr Sharjil Baig & Dr Suhail Muzaffer
Departmental Manager – Diane Edwards

Microbiology
Head of Department – Dr Jonathan Swindells
Departmental Manager – Ashok Dadrah

Immunology
Head of Department – Dr Sadia Noorani
Departmental manager – Helen Sandy

Services

Clinical Biochemistry
Clinical Biochemistry measuring a wide range of substances in bodily fluid, such as urine, blood and saliva. Our Clinical Biochemistry Department operates at both City Hospital and Sandwell Hospital.

We offer a full range of routine and emergency testing. We also have a range of more specialist tests that we perform for both our own patients and also for many other hospitals around the country. For more information, email info@cityassays.org.uk .

We also offer a Vitamin D service directly to the public using blood spot technology and you can find out more about this service by visiting the website vitamindtest.org.uk or emailing vitd@cityassays.org.uk

We have specialist laboratories, including toxicology, trace elements, TPMT and stones, and we offer services to many other hospitals throughout the United Kingdom.

Haematology
Haematology deals with diseases of the blood and blood-forming organs.

Our main services are as follows:

Routine Haematology – his involves carrying out blood tests to diagnose different types of anaemia, leukaemia and infections.

Coagulation – this involves the study of clotting in blood.

Haemoglobinopathies – this looks at disorders of haemoglobin, which is the substance that enables blood to be transported around the body.

Blood Transfusion – this involves giving blood products from one individual to another.

Anticoagulation Services – this deals with the management and control of prescribed  anticoagulant drugs.

Histopathology and Mortuary

Histopathology is the branch of medicine dealing with the essential nature of disease, especially changes in body tissues and organs that cause or are caused by disease. Our laboratory operates from City Hospital and receives specimens from City Hospital, Sandwell Hospital and GPs.

Histology – this is mainly concerned with the study of disease in tissues which have been removed during surgery.

Mortuary – the Mortuary services based at both City Hospital and Sandwell Hospital. At Sandwell, the mortuary includes the West Midlands Regional Forensic Service and provides post mortem services to West Bromwich Coroner and the Home office Forensic Science Services.

Microbiology
Microbiology focuses on micro-organisms and the infections they cause in humans.   We offer a full range of microbiology services using state-of-the-art equipment, including screening for MRSA, clostridium difficile (c.diff), chlamydia hepatitis and HIV. We also work very closely with the nurses in the Infection Control Department and test samples to prevent infections spreading in the hospital. We manage outbreaks of infection within the hospital and community settings and work closely with primary care trusts on infection control issues.

The Microbiology Department works with clinical teams to improve the health of patients through infection prevention and control, as well as working with other departments within Pathology to create a comprehensive testing service.

Microbiologists also undertake daily ward rounds and provide telephone advice to healthcare workers in our hospitals and the community.

An important part of Microbiology includes monitoring how antibiotics are prescribed, and we have an Informatics team that analyses data from the laboratory to report to the Department of Health, local Health Protection Units and Public Health Departments to ensure that infections in the community are monitored.

Immunology

Immunology studies the immune processes in the body and their role in fighting disease. The Immunology department is a laboratory service for investigating, monitoring and treating patients with disorders of the immune system. Our work involves measuring components such as antibodies and proteins which are involved in the diagnosis of autoimmune disease, allergy and immunodeficiency.

We offer a range of outpatient services to children and adults. The department is also a referral service across the UK and Ireland for some tests.

More information about the Immunology Department can be found here. Further detailed information about our services can be found on the Black Country Pathology Services website or consult our pathology handbook.

Patient Information

SWB NHS Trust offers a comprehensive pathology service for hospital and primary care users. We also have a range of specialist services that are offered to other laboratories around the UK and overseas.

Patient leaflets

Clinical Biochemistry – Sweat Test (ML6720)

Haematology – Bone Marrow Aspiration & Trephine Biopsy (ML6526)

Services

City Hospital

• Essential services for haematology and clinical biochemistry
• Blood Bank
• Microbiology
• Histopathology
• Phlebotomy

Sandwell Hospital

• Haematology
• Blood bank
• Clinical biochemistry
• Immunology
• Serology
• Phlebotomy

Phlebotomy services are also provided at Rowley Regis Hospital and several community locations.

Laboratory opening times can be found on Page 3 of the Pathology Handbook – click here.

Contacts

Reception (City): 0121 507 4221

Reception (Sandwell): 0121 507 3520

Blood Science Call Centre: 0121 507 5162

Microbiology results and general enquiries: 0121 507 4261

Immunology results and general enquiries: 0121 507 4258

Histopathology general enquiries: 0121 507 4231

Feedback

Your feedback to us has always been important. If you would like to feedback to us, be it a suggestion for improving our service or comment on something we do well, we would really appreciate it if you could write it on a postcard and pop it in the post to us.

Download the Service User Feedback postcard here.