Citadel Health awarded $29.6m contract to future-proof Welsh pathology services nationally

SECTOR UPDATE - Citadel Health

Australian health software company Citadel Health has secured a $29.6m contract to revolutionise country-wide pathology services in the UK, delivering better health outcomes for patients of NHS Wales.

The pressure on testing services brought about by the escalating challenges of treating a growing and ageing population, often with multiple coexisting conditions, has pressed home the need for modern pathology networks around the globe.

Now, with the help of innovative software built and proven over decades here in Australia, Citadel Health will streamline and modernise national pathology services throughout NHS Wales.

The deal will bring together the management of end-to-end patient testing for every discipline and every location across the length and breadth of Wales.

The project will deliver the largest and most inclusive single laboratory information management system (LIMS) in the UK, setting a new benchmark in pathology services and patient care and paving the way for further transformations at a critical juncture in healthcare.

NHS Wales has recognised Citadel Health’s strong track record in delivering systems that result in better care, faster and more targeted treatments, and improved health outcomes for patients across the country.

Pathology underpins 95% of all clinical pathways and 70% of all diagnoses in Wales, meaning the new deal provides significant opportunities to unlock efficiencies throughout the entire health system.

The Evolution vLab LIMS software that Citadel Health will be providing to NHS Wales is already the leading solution in Australian public pathology and is the state-wide solution across Queensland Health. In Wales it will replace the current three separate systems to create a single, world-class, modern pathology network connecting every clinician, lab and hospital in Wales, all via a single login.

Once live, the system will manage the more than 35 million tests that are processed each year by 21 NHS Wales pathology labs, and support every hospital, clinic and GP nationwide.

The new solution will give clinicians faster access to accurate, real-time pathology information across every discipline at their fingertips. This system will help to:

• Enhance clinical decision-making, laboratory operations, and quality of care across every laboratory, hospital and GP surgery in Wales
• Provide a faster and more efficient service for clinicians, enabling enhanced cost savings and increasing the amount of time spent on patient care. (With savings equating to approximately $4.3 million per annum)
• Improve the quality and speed of diagnosis for patients, reducing the need for repeat testing and giving patients access to the best pathology services available in Wales, wherever they are based.

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