Overview

Northern Ireland has successfully completed the nationwide implementation of the Clinisys WinPath laboratory information management system (LIMS) across all health and social care trusts. This initiative aims to enhance the efficiency and quality of pathology services.

Key Developments

• The final go-lives occurred at the Western and Southern health and social care trusts.
• These trusts implemented the LIMS in their microbiology, blood sciences, and blood transfusion services.
• Prior to this, both trusts were using outdated systems that were over 30 years old.

Statements from Officials

Jennifer Welsh, SRO of the Northern Ireland Pathology Information Management System (NIPIMS), stated:

“The completion of the CoreLIMS roll-out marks a major milestone in the transformation of pathology services across Northern Ireland. For the first time, every health and social care trust is working from the same modern laboratory system, creating a truly connected service that puts patients first.”

Future Benefits

With the new system in place, the following improvements are anticipated:

1. Reduction in repeat testing.
2. Faster access to comprehensive information for clinicians.
3. Potential innovations such as vein-to-vein tracking.

About the CoreLIMS Programme

The Core Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS) was developed to replace a mix of outdated systems with a modern solution tailored for contemporary pathology networks. Clinisys was awarded the contract in October 2021, and the project has progressed through several phases:

• Phase one: Go-live at Belfast and South Eastern trusts in November 2023.
• Phase two: Implementation at the Northern Ireland Blood Transfusion Service and cellular pathology services in June 2024.
• Phase three: Deployment at Northern Health and Social Care Trust in October 2024.

Integration with Other Systems

The implementation of Clinisys WinPath was integrated with the encompass system, which aims to create a unified digital health record for every citizen in Northern Ireland.

Conclusion

Karen Bailey, Chief Executive of the Business Services Organisation (BSO), expressed pride in this achievement, highlighting the collaborative efforts that made this transformation possible. The successful roll-out of Clinisys WinPath is expected to significantly enhance patient care across Northern Ireland.