Blood transfusion at Aneurin Bevan University Health Board live with Clinisys™ WinPath

Critical service adopts the latest Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS) to support the Transfusion Laboratory testing and distribution of blood components and blood products for the population of Aneurin Bevan Univeristy Health Board

The Blood Transfusion service at Aneurin Bevan University Health Board has gone live with Clinisys™ WinPath in a first of type deployment in Wales.

The service is a long-standing user of Clinisys Laboratory Information Management Systems (LIMS), but its LabCentre LIMS had reached end of life.

Clinisys worked with ABUHB to make sure the latest version of its LIMS would support local workflows, culminating in the launch of Clinisys™ WinPath 2023.3 this autumn.

Stacey Wetherell, Haematology department manager, said: “Clinisys is the leading LIMS in the UK, and we knew that other laboratories were using it with the software that we use to remotely issue and track blood and blood products.

“We serve four hospitals, but we only test blood transfusion samples on one site, so integration with our tracking system was vital for us.”

“Clinisys committed to further developments and enhancements to incorporate the required NHS Wales workflows, and following much testing we took WinPath version 2023.3. Now, we have a modern, robust, and future proof solution that has been well-received by our staff and is good for our patients.”

The latest release of Clinisys™ WinPath not only supports NHS Wales’ unique requirements but also delivers enhanced functionality that can benefit blood transfusion laboratories across the whole of the United Kingdom.

Jennifer Summers, Transfusion Laboratory Manager, thanked the Health Board staff for their help in the extensive testing that was required to adopt the new system.

“The go-live was very smooth,” she said, “but that was a testament to the extensive testing that was carried out prior to go-live (over 120 separate test scripts) and to the training package that the laboratory developed following the Clinisys superuser training. Staff have taken to the new system really well. It’s very user-friendly and we’re confident it has given us a great platform for the future.”

Simon Hoad, Pathology Directorate Manager, said “The Blood Transfusion IT system at ABUHB had reached end-of-life, requiring a dependable replacement to ensure patient safety and support clinical needs. The project team successfully delivered the new system within exceptionally tight timeframes, exceeding expectations.”

Aneurin Bevan University Health Board is a key organization in South East Wales. It provides its services through a number of hospitals and health centres, including The Grange University Hospital in Cwmbran. The Grange has a state-of-the-art laboratory that was built and equipped just five years ago and handles centralised transfusion sample testing, blood issuing and the onward distribution of blood and blood products for the whole Health Board.

Clinisys undertook development work to make sure Clinisys™ WinPath could handle the way blood stock orders are receipted from the Welsh Blood Service. As a result, it now has a LIMS that can support Welsh requirements.

Jennifer Summers said other benefits of Clinisys™ WinPath over earlier systems are that it is Windows rather than character based, which means it has the same user interface as other, modern IT systems.

“The use of user-definable rules adds flexibility that our previous LIMS had limited scope for. These rules help guide users through the steps they need to take for different tests and scenarios. This improves efficiency and reduces errors,” she said. Quick guides were developed by the laboratory for the deployment project to provide additional support to staff.

Dr Sarah Lewis, Consultant Haematologist and Laboratory Lead, said: “WinPath has streamlined our laboratory processes, delivering results that support timely clinical decisions. Its strong data management and audit capabilities enhance patient safety. ABUHB now has a reliable, efficient system that truly provides a robust and future-proof transfusion service which supports improved patient care.”

Craig Hayes, head of domain for blood transfusion at Clinisys, said: “We were delighted to work on this project, which was a true collaboration with the Health Board. On our side, there was some development work to be done, so we worked closely with them to make sure their needs were met.

“We were also impressed by their approach to testing, which undoubtedly contributed to the smooth go-live and adoption of the new system. Now we have developed our system to support Wales, it is undoubtedly something that other health boards could consider, subject to the roll-out of the national solution.”