SINGLETON’S health outcomes are set to improve after the opening of a new pathology collection centre on the corner of John and Pitt streets.
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Conveniently located on the main street, the move away from a demountable at Singleton Hospital will make the service much easier to access for patients.
The new site was purchased by Pathology North and offers visitors modern and bright rooms with a large waiting area and is part of their plans to improve health outcomes in Singleton.
The new collection service is operating 8am-4.30pm Mondays to Fridays and has extended its opening hours to include 8am-12pm on Saturdays.
“It’s fresher, newer and the parking is a lot better which is important because at times at the hospital, particularly during surgery, it would be hard for people to find a park,” staff member Kaye Maskey said.
“We can also accept requests for our services from outside Singleton Hospital referrals and are close to chemists.”
Elsewhere Pathology North introduced state of the art Point of Care testing at Singleton Hospital in June last year and it is being used daily in the emergency department to deliver pathology tests results within minutes.
Hunter New England Point of Care Testing coordinator Danny Thompson said that it had created a virtual laboratory and saved considerable hospital resources in NSW thanks to efficacies.
“In the past if a patient was suspected of being at risk they would be ambulance transferred to Maitland , however with Point of Care testing we can make a level of diagnosis on site, most of the time they can stay monitored here in Singleton,” he said.
“The device is quite easy to use for hospital staff and is very mobile, patients don’t have to be moved around and it records the results of tests on to the patients’ file straight away.
“This kind of technology is moving the country towards equity of health care by allowing people in the bush better access to quality health care.”