The laboratory service of Public Health Wales (PHW) is set to undergo a major transformation, with the aim of increasing the COVID-19 testing capacity and improving testing turnaround times. The transformation will be supported by ~£32 million worth of funding from the Welsh Government.
Major changes to be implemented include:
- Additional staff and equipment will be deployed at PHW's regional laboratories at the University Hospital Wales, Cardiff, Moriston Hospital, Swansea and Ysbyty Glan Clwyd Rhyl testing laboratories, enabling them to function 24/7.
- Six Hot Labs will be established at hospitals across Wales with rapid testing equipment and new testing equipment for other conditions. This will free up more staff to work on COVID-19 testing.
Although the current focus remains on COVID-19, the changes are also expected to improve the testing turnaround times for other crucial infections such as sepsis, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, Clostridium difficile and Norovirus.
Vaughan Gething, Minister for Health and Social Services, said: "This investment will ensure we have the capacity in Wales to deliver our Test, Trace, Protect strategy to keep coronavirus under control and be ready for the winter."
