Construction of state-of-the-art pathology lab to complete this summer
Property developer BAM has reached an important stage in the construction of a new pathology laboratory in Leeds.
The facility, which is being delivered for Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, will transform diagnostic services across West Yorkshire.
The building will bring many of the Trust’s pathology services together into one purpose-built facility, supporting the delivery of faster, more accurate routine and specialist testing and helping to drive improvements in diagnosis for patients across the region.
BAM has completed the outer shell of the building, which is based at the Trust’s St James’s University Hospital (SJUH) site, with all the windows now fitted.
A further 1,357 individual rainscreen cladding panels have also been fitted to the façade and it is on track to be operating with power in the coming weeks.
Much of the interior work is now taking place with ceilings, flooring and fixed laboratory furniture currently being installed, while mechanical and electrical installations are also progressing, ahead of high-tech equipment being installed.
Paul Cleminson, pre-construction director at BAM, said: “As we reach completion of the building’s façade and install the laboratories inside, we celebrate another exciting milestone on this important healthcare project.
“We’re proud to be delivering a building that will support improvements in diagnosis for people across the region.
“We currently have around 100 people working on site each day and we’ve created opportunities for the local supply chain in the region, with hundreds of local people having worked on the scheme.”
The laboratory will be part of the West Yorkshire and Harrogate Pathology Network, formed through the collaboration with the West Yorkshire Association of Acute Trusts (WYAAT) and will support the delivery of pathology services across West Yorkshire with advanced equipment and new technologies to support innovative testing and diagnostics.
Simon Worthington, the trust’s director of finance and senior responsible officer for the Building the Leeds Way Programme said: “Our new facility is now one step closer to driving improvements in the way we diagnose patients, not just in Leeds but those living right across West Yorkshire and Harrogate.
“The new pathology service will help to meet the growing regional demand for specialist treatment and care whilst providing development opportunities for staff which will be created through the use of new state-of-the-art facilities and equipment.”
Construction of the laboratory is set to complete in summer 2023 with pathology services then transferring on a phased basis throughout 2024 and becoming fully operational following the installation of new equipment.
