A HARDWORKING team at Barnsley Hospital has helped to process more than 40,000 tests in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic.
The microbiology department at the hospital has teamed up with Rotherham Hospital to form the Barnsley and Rotherham Integrated Laboratory Services (BRILS).
Since June, the team implemented a new test using molecular technology to identify patients and staff who were Covid-19 positive.
BRILS tested up to 500 coronavirus swabs per day and since June, the team has processed 40,000 Covid-19 tests.
Liz Elfleet, head of pathology at BRILS, said: “40,000 tests is an amazing achievement.
“The team have responded professionally to the additional demands on the service and our team now cover an extended 16 hours working day and an on-call service for urgent tests, and have remained in good spirits despite significant challenges professionally and personally.
“The staff have embraced new molecular microbiology techniques, and this has been rewarding for staff development.
“Pathology services have always worked hard behind the scenes, and are now making headlines, but the team are incredibly proud of their contribution to the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic.”
Microbiology operational manager, Ian Wearmouth, added: “To reach this number of Covid tests is a fantastic achievement and has only happened due to the hard work and dedication of the BRILS microbiology team in this unprecedented situation.
“All members of the team should be very proud of themselves and each other.”
