There will soon be a new pathology lab at the Royal Bournemouth Hospital.

Preparations at the University Hospitals Dorset’s Royal Bournemouth Hospital site, including a histopathology diagnostic hub, have now been completed.

The innovative new facility will provide a wide range of pathology and research services as well as offices, staff facilities, new access road, car parking, cycle stores and landscaping. It will include a specialist diagnostic hub which will be used to study and diagnose diseases and illnesses using the latest in medical technology to analyse anything from a simple blood test to advanced genetic screening.

Stephen Harding, head of service for One Dorset Pathology – a collaborative partnership between Dorset County Hospital and University Hospitals Dorset – said: “This is a very exciting and significant project for the patients of Dorset.

“Pathology services are an essential part of the efficient and safe running of hospital and GP services, analysing the thousands of tests that are done for patients every day.

“The new facility will have the very latest in specialist technology and deliver better value, high quality diagnostic and care for patients across the region.”

Development of this new £12.7m facility, located on the Wessex Fields site adjacent to the hospital, has been supported in part by a £2.7 million Local Growth Fund investment by Dorset Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) for the histopathology diagnostic hub as part of its initiatives to support Covid-19 recovery and accelerate healthcare resilience in the county.

The diagnostic hub will be operational later this year with the build fully completed in the summer of 2023, with Hurn-based Amiri Construction appointed as build contractor following a competitive tendering process. They will be working to designs developed by UHD in partnership with the team of architects from Ansell & Bailey.