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- Work Experience
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 an accredited Pathology Department under the Clinical Pathology Accreditation and are fully recognized for the training of biomedical scientists, clinical scientists and medical trainees.
Pathology is divided up into a number of specialist laboratories and our services include:
- Biochemistry
- Haematology
- Cellular Pathology
- Immunology
- Microbiology
Services
BIOCHEMISTRY
General Information:
Clinical biochemistry measures a wide range of substances in bodily fluid, such as urine, blood and saliva. 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.
We have specialist laboratories, including Toxicology, Trace Elements, TPMT and Stones, and we offer services to many other hospitals throughout the United Kingdom.
Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals (SWBH) NHS Trust Pathology Directorate includes a Clinical Biochemistry Department run as a hub and spoke laboratory. The hub laboratory is based at City Hospital and a spoke laboratory is located at Sandwell Hospital site.
The key areas of work undertaken by the laboratories are as follows:
Hub Laboratory at City – This Automated Laboratory undertakes inpatient and outpatient work from the City site together with outpatient work from Sandwell Hospital and work from General Practice across our locality.
The City site also houses a number of specialist sections, including:
Manual Assays
Vitamins
Stone analysis
TPMT
Trace Elements
Toxicology
DNA laboratories
Contact details:
For more information, email biochem@cityassays.org.uk
We also offer a Vitamin D service directly to the public using blood spot technology. For more information call: 0121 507 4278 or email: vitd@cityassays.org.uk
General laboratory call centre – 0121 507 5162
Secretary – 0121 507 4278
Every Tuesday, we open up the laboratory to the public and offer tours from 12.45pm – 2pm. Each tour has a theme and anyone can attend.
For more information call: 0121 507 4221 or email info@pathologyworld.org.uk.
Address:
Department of Clinical Biochemistry
City Hospital
Dudley Road
Birmingham B18 7QH
United Kingdom
Access:
Specimen Delivery during Working Hours: Specimens may be left at City and Sandwell Hospitals Pathology reception and at Rowley Regis Hospital reception during normal working hours. Samples can be sent by the air tube system at both City and Sandwell Hospitals directly into the laboratory.
Specimen Delivery Out of Hours: Specimens can be sent out of hours using the air tube system.
Visitors: Access to all the laboratories within Pathology is controlled by ID badge bar-code locks at City site and by key fob access at Sandwell site. Visitors should always make prior appointments and present themselves at Pathology Reception where the Clinical Biochemistry department will be informed of their presence.
HAEMATOLOGY
General Information:
Haematology deals with diseases of the blood and blood-forming organs. Our main laboratory is based at City Hospital with a smaller facility at Sandwell Hospital.Our main services are as follows:
Routine Haematology – this 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.
Opening hours:
Routine hours: Monday to Friday: 09:00 – 17:30
Out-of-hours Evenings: 17:30 – 09:00
Weekends: 08:00 – 20:00 & 20:00 – 08:00
A member of the medical staff is available to provide clinical advice out- of-hours via the hospital switchboard.
Team:
Head of department – Dr Christine Wright
Departmental manager – Jackie Martin
Contact details:
Tel: 0121 507 5358
CELLULAR PATHOLOGY
General Information:
Cellular Pathology 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.
Cytology – this is examining cells under a microscope to study diseases. We provide a NHS Cervical Screening service to GPs and hospital clinicians, as well as a non-gynaecological service.
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.
Access to the laboratories is by swipe card or key fob only. Visitors to the department must identify themselves to reception staff and must only enter the laboratory when accompanied by Pathology staff.
Opening hours:
| Days | Core Opening Times – City Site | Core Opening Times – Sandwell Site |
| Monday – Friday (excluding Bank Holidays) | 08:30 – 17:00 | 08:30 – 17:00 |
| Saturday & Sunday | Samples must be delivered to Pathology by using the sample transport system, or by placing them through the hatch at the front of the building | 08:00 – 12:00
|
| Bank Holidays | 08:00 – 12:00 |
Outside of core hours, an on call service is provided for Microbiology and Histology.
Location:
City Hospital Histology and Cytology are located in wards D10 and D9 at the top of the ground floor corridor.
Contact details:
Tel: 0121 507 6480
MICROBIOLOGY
General Information:
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.
Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals (SWBH) NHS Trust Directorate of Pathology operates a Microbiology, Serology and Virology Department, including a Research Laboratory, on a single site within the Pathology block at City Hospital Birmingham.
Microbiology specimens may, however, is delivered to the other two main hospital sites; at Sandwell General Hospital (Pathology Reception) and Rowley Regis Hospital (General Reception) for onwards transfer to City.
The Microbiology Department is a consultant led service staffed by specialist Biomedical Scientists and support staff and provides a quality diagnostic microbiology service. The service comprises bacteriology (including mycobacteriology), mycology, parasitology, molecular biology, Chlamydia, serology and virology, including rapid assays for the diagnosis of viral and bacterial infection.
The Research Laboratory supports a wide range of original microbiological research both within Sandwell & West Birmingham Hospitals and in collaboration with external clients.
The Department has a robust quality management system in place and are accredited by Clinical Pathology Accreditation (UK) Ltd. (CPA).
Location:
The Microbiology Department is located on the first floor the Pathology Block of Birmingham City Hospital.
Address:
Department of Microbiology
Birmingham City Hospital
Dudley Road
Birmingham
B18 7QH United Kingdom
Access:
During Working Hours: City and Sandwell Hospitals Pathology reception and at Rowley Regis Hospital reception are available during normal working hours.
Out of Hours: Accessed only by authorised persons.
Visitors: Access to all the laboratories within the Pathology Block is controlled by ID badge bar-code locks, and further access to Microbiology by coded security locks.
Visitors should always make prior appointments and present themselves at Pathology Reception where the Microbiology department will be informed of their presence.
Opening hours:
| Days | Core Opening Times | Service |
| Mon- Friday (excluding Bank Holidays) | 09:00 – 19:00 | Normal opening hours |
| Mon- Friday Out of Hours | 17:00 – 09:00 | On-call service |
| Saturday Sunday Bank Holidays | 09:00 – 17:00 | Normal opening hours |
| 17:00 – 09:00 | On-call service |
Note: The laboratory does not offer a routine service on Saturdays, Sundays or Bank Holidays. However, a reduced service is available at these times (see below).
Contact details:
Tel: 0121 507 6560
IMMUNOLOGY
General Information:
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.
Opening hours:
Monday to Friday: 08.30 – 17.00
Staffs are available throughout the working day to offer advice on assay requests and on test results as well as their availability on ICM. A medical member of staff is usually available to provide clinical advice by contacting the secretaries or the hospital switchboard.
Contact details:
Tel: 0121 507 4250
