Westmead Hospital to gain $492m pathology hub

Built in 1978, with minimal refurbishment since, the Westmead laboratories conduct 10,000 pathology-related tests every day — yet according to NSW Health Pathology Chief Executive Vanessa Janissen, they are no longer fit for purpose. An announcement from NSW Premier Chris Minns and Minister for Health and Regional Health Ryan Park, indicating that Westmead Hospital would gain a $492 million pathology hub, was therefore welcomed. Included in the upcoming June state Budget, it represents the single largest injection of funds in pathology infrastructure in recent times.

The investment, in addition to the new build for the Institute of Clinical Pathology and Medical Research (ICPMR), will also include an upgrade to the high-security PC4 biocontainment laboratory at Westmead — the only one of its kind in the state. High-risk pathogens that have the potential to be a major infection threat to the wider community — such as measles, influenza and COVID-19, as well as global threats such as Ebola — are tested, isolated and researched at this PC4 laboratory.

“It’s an exciting opportunity for us to design landmark pathology laboratories that will serve the rapidly growing communities in [the] Western Sydney region and offer integrated support for all our laboratories right across NSW,” Janissen said. “The statewide hub will be designed to enhance future-ready diagnostic services, bolster our public health response and pandemic preparedness, and advance cutting-edge medical research and training.

“This will be a turning point in how we deliver pathology services across NSW. It provides the opportunity to capitalise on rapid advancements in new and emerging technology for this site and across our other laboratories as we continue to work as an integrated network of laboratories.”

Professor David Brown, NSW Health Pathology’s Director of ICPMR Westmead, said the hub will be the largest public pathology laboratory in NSW.

“It will harness the power of automation and robotics providing 10,000 critical clinical results every day to medical teams, ensuring they have fast access to quality diagnostic information to inform timely treatment of patients,” Brown said. “This is about ensuring every patient receives the right test, at the right time, with the right result.”

Enhancing the speed and accuracy of diagnosis for cancer patients with cutting-edge digital technology, the hub will enable precision medicine at scale for the state and accelerate cutting-edge genomics sequencing capabilities adoption — adoption that will ensure NSW patients have access to personalised treatments based on their needs. NSW Health Pathology’s research and innovation capabilities will also be enhanced, with vital testing for access to clinical trials and critical partnerships in translational research with Local Health Districts and universities supported.

Image caption: NSW Health Pathology Chief Executive Vanessa Janissen says the new statewide hub at Westmead will bring benefits to patients across NSW.