A new multimillion pound pathology laboratory has been officially opened at the Royal Oldham Hospital.
The site, which cost £17.5m and covers more than 3,000 square metres of floor space, is one of the largest of its kind in the country.
It will deal with the testing of routine samples from hospitals and GPs across north-east Manchester.
The lab will also house specialists in biochemistry, microbiology, and the study of blood, tissues and cells.
Deborah Ashton, pathology senior service manager for Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust, said the facility is an integral part of moves by the NHS to modernise pathology services throughout Oldham, Rochdale, Heywood and Middleton, Bury and north Manchester.
She added: “This massive project enables us to make best use of staff skills and technology, and will help us meet best practice standards on a national level.
“Most patients have little – if any – idea of the complexity and range of work undertaken by pathology staff.
“But their work underpins the whole of the NHS – around 70% of diagnoses depend on analyses of samples undertaken in our laboratories.”
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