NPEx is the digital exchange designed to connect all pathology laboratories in the UK. Find out why labs need to get connected.
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Learn more about how NPEx enables digitised send away tests across local networks.
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A world first for the NHS. A digital hub that is transforming the UK pathology landscape.
The National Pathology Exchange (NPEx) is a national service for NHS pathology managers to connect all UK labs together through a single exchange hub so that test requests and pathology results are sent digitally from any lab to any lab in a matter of seconds.
The latest internet technologies give managers test-level control over which labs they send to and receive from so that they can maximise their income from work done for others and review the costs and performance of work they outsource. Advanced messaging through secure NHS infrastructure gives digital integration between laboratories so results are returned in seconds.
The NPEx service is currently optional for NHS laboratories and many labs still use paper but this will change as quality improvements drive modernisation. NPEx connected laboratories recognise the high cost and poor patient service of paper based processes and have connected digitally to the national exchange. With an NPEx connection, laboratory managers can securely request tests and get results to and from any other laboratory on the network. As the network grows to connect all laboratories in the country NPEx will transform the way that patients get their results – cutting cost, raising quality and improving clinical care through better, faster diagnosis. This map shows which laboratories are already connected, those that are connecting and those that still use paper for lab to lab referral work.
The NPEx service is provided for the NHS by the NHS and is managed and run by The Health Informatics Service (THIS) hosted by Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust.
