Concerns raised over NHS lab move

Moving a laboratory from Lincoln hospital could put lives at risk, a leading micro-biologist has warned.

The plan to shut the infection testing centre and move the work to Scunthorpe has been likened to a hospital shutting down its X-ray department.

Dr Ron Dickson warned the extra time needed for the 25-mile trip could lead to delays in obtaining test results.

The North Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Trust said the move would create a more efficient service.

Renovation costs

The laboratory currently carries out vital medical tests, to detect problems like meningitis and MRSA, for 90,000 patients in Lincoln every year.

But Dr Dickson said centralising such facilities was not appropriate for the area.

"We all know that Lincolnshire is enormous and so that distance between those two centres for microbiology is considerable.

"I find it concerning that for the first time in 60 years we won't have a local microbiology facility and I find that worrying.

"90% of the time most of the population won't need this but when they need it they need it quickly."

The trust, which subcontracts the microbiology lab, said the Lincoln laboratory is old and it would cost more than £2m to update.

It added that new site will be open longer during the day so results will not have to wait until the morning so often.