In a claimed sector first, medical diagnostics group Labco and facilities management specialist Sodexo have formed a joint venture – Integrated Pathology Partnerships (iPP) – to enable UK healthcare organisations to outsource their pathology services.
Labco describes itself as “a major European clinical diagnostics company owned and run by an international network of pathologists”. Geoff Searle, MD at the new joint-venture, says that, given limited opportunity to outsource to date, pathology services have been predominantly carried out in-house by NHS Trusts. He said: “We believe this new joint venture addresses many of the issues raised in the Carter Review concerning improvements to quality, patient safety, and increased efficiency, and that iPP will help the NHS achieve its ambitious £500 million savings target for pathology services in England.”
