Automating diagnostics: Lessons learnt from the COVID-19 frontline

The COVID-19 pandemic has brewed the perfect storm for lab managers.

The Institute of Biomedical Science estimates that in 2021, the demand and capability for molecular testing in UK pathology microbiology labs has jumped from around 300,000 a year, to 300,000 every single day.

Unsurprisingly, diagnostic targets are now being regularly missed, lab scientists are overstretched, and human error is increasingly reported in the press.

The Life Sciences sector has learnt the hard way that their way of working needs to be revolutionised. And there is one technology that, having already transformed many industries, promises to help overcome these challenges: Automation.

Join Nick Pattinson, Head of Lab Automation at Automata, as he shares his thoughts on the immediate impact automation solutions can have within diagnostic labs. Nick will share how automation can empower diagnostic labs to scale up, ease pressure on exhausted staff, cut costs and minimise mistakes. 

Nick will be joined by Institute of Biomedical Science Chief Executive David Wells who previously led NHS England’s testing response to Covid-19. Known for his approach to modernising pathology, David and Nick will discuss how the industry can meet this unprecedented demand and the potential benefits end-to-end workflow automation system can bring.