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The haematology laboratory is concerned with the diagnosis and monitoring of diseases of the blood and blood forming organs.

These include anaemia, blood clotting and bleeding disorders and cancers such as leukaemia and myeloma. Testing is performed using both automated and manual examinations of blood cells and proteins including haemoglobin and clotting factors.

Blood Transfusion supports the treatment of many patients, and in some cases is life-saving.

The service is very strictly regulated to maintain the quality and safety of this vital service.

Biochemical tests are carried out on blood and CSF (cerebrospinal) samples. The department uses both manual techniques as well as automated analysers.

Results provided by this department give guidance on such things as fluid imbalance, the state of the liver and kidney function, diagnosis and management of diabetes, causes of hormone disorders (such as infertility), thyroid monitoring, and monitoring of cancer therapy.

The Department of Laboratory Medicine at Bolton performs serum Antenatal Screening for Down’s, Edwards’ and Patau’s syndrome as part of the Fetal Anomaly Screening Programme (FASP) offered to all pregnant women in England.

The service covers over 70 clinics throughout Greater Manchester, Cheshire & Merseyside, Lancashire, North Midlands and Scotland, processing over 50,000 samples for Down’s, Edwards’ and Patau’s syndromes chance calculations per annum. The laboratory is run by a team of dedicated clinical and biomedical scientists and support staff.

Quality Assurance:  The service subscribes to the 6-monthly Down’s Syndrome Screen Quality Assurance Support Service (DQASS), with excellent results.

A UKAS accredited medical laboratory No. 9925.

Bolton Hospital NHS Foundation Trust Antenatal Screening Handbook

The service provided by this department looks for minute (microbial) organisms (such as MRSA), viruses (such as Hepatitis), fungi and parasites (such as threadworm) in faeces, urine, sputum and blood samples.  When the infection, or parasite, is identified then the right course of treatment can then be started.

The Infection Control team liaises with this department to ensure outbreaks like norovirus are kept under tight control.

This department looks at tissue samples taken from the body to check for conditions such as cancer.

These samples may be taken from the body when on the ward, during surgery or post mortem.

The study of sperm to determine male fertility and confirm infertility following vasectomy is performed by the Cellular Pathology (Histopathology) laboratory.

The Mortuary is situated in the department of Laboratory Medicine at the Royal Bolton Hospital.

Visitors are asked to proceed up the corridor from the A block square and to then ring the bell to gain access.

Laboratory user handbooks are document controlled. Please only access from this webpage

• Blood sciences user handbook
• Microbiology user handbook
• CellPath Andrology and Mortuary user handbook

Feedback form; please feel free to feedback any comments/suggestions in order to help us improve our service to you.

• User Survey & Feedback Form (online)
• Laboratory Medicine user survey 2023