A new shared pathology network is being created between East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust, the Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust, West Hertfordshire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust and Hertfordshire and West Essex Integrated Care Board (ICB).
Pathology services from the three hospital trusts transferred to a new provider on 1 March 2025. Health Services Laboratories (HSL) is contracted to deliver the new networked pathology service across Hertfordshire and West Essex ICS. This includes provision for the pathology services used by the hospital trusts, primary care and other providers in the community.
Key points about the new service for primary care
You won’t see too much change in the way you currently receive the pathology services:
- your test turnaround time will remain the same
- specimen collections from your practices will continue as scheduled, but they will be collected by TDL Collect
- you will continue to use the online systems to order and view test results
- you will continue to receive tubes/ vials and other test stock, however how you order these consumables is different.
Future changes to the pathology service network
HSL has started to implement a new working model for the ICS wide pathology service network under ICB governance along with the partner hospital trusts.
A new central laboratory opening this summer at Croxley Park, Watford, will deliver most of the routine pathology testing including pathology services for primary care and community providers. South West Hertfordshire primary care work along with microbiology and non-urgent blood sciences from West Hertfordshire hospitals will be delivered from the hub from the summer.
Pathology work for the East and North Hertfordshire and West Essex primary, community and mental health care and the area’s acute trusts will move over to the HWE Hub at a later stage.
The existing laboratories on each hospital site will be transformed to deliver essential on-site pathology services for inpatients and the emergency department.
Throughout these developments clinical involvement will be maintained from both acute sites and GP practices to provide clinical oversight on delivering pathology services. They will maintain input throughout the 15 year contract with HSL.
Why a new provider and networked service
A single shared pathology network across the ICS will provide sustainable service for our hospitals, community services, GPs and the patients we all care for. It is part of the partnership’s collective commitment to further improve services across the region whilst also delivering a national programme initiated by NHS Improvement as directed by the by the Carter review.
The network partnership explored different options to develop a single shared pathology service. Together the partners agreed that transferring existing pathology services from within the three acute trusts to an external contractor would provide the best outcome in joining up services. The benefits included significant financial investment in state-of-the-art equipment in newly refurbished laboratories at the hospital sites, a new hub laboratory and staffing resilience – all important elements in providing a flexible and sustainable ICS-wide pathology service.
Following ICB approval of a full business case for the contract in December 2022 and a rigorous procurement process, in March 2024 the three acute trusts and the ICB entered a 15-year contract with HSL as the selected service provider. Pathology services transferred to HSL in March 2025.
Further information
The Pathology Business Unit who manage the contract on behalf of the partnership sit in the Procurement Service for the Hertfordshire and West Essex Integrated Care System. The unit is based in Gate House office in Welwyn Garden City. If you have any questions for the team please do email them at [email protected].
Our contractor Health Services Laboratories are based in London. HSL is a partnership between The Doctors Laboratory, Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust (the Royal Free London) and University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. You can visit their website