Building for resilience: Inside Noble’s Hospital pathology lab
The pathology lab at the Isle of Man’s Noble’s Hospital provides fast, accurate diagnostics around the clock for primary and secondary care providers. The lab processes over 1,100 samples each day, and the hospital’s location means equipment, supplies and support can take time to arrive – so self-sufficiency and security are vital.
Here we speak to Ben Kelly, Chief Biomedical Scientist at Noble's Hospital to understand how Roche Integrated Solutions have helped to optimise workflows and minimise the pathology lab's downtime.
As the island’s only clinical biochemistry laboratory, there’s no room for error – or downtime.
Optimising lab efficiency with Roche Integrated Solutions
At the heart of Noble’s pathology lab are two identical Roche cobas® pro analyser lines operating in parallel. Each is capable of handling the full workload independently, providing both capacity and confidence.
“It’s not just about performance—it’s about peace of mind,” says Ben. “If one analyser goes down for maintenance or repair, we’ve got a complete second line ready to take over. That redundancy is essential when you don’t have another lab down the road.”
To strengthen the lab’s core capabilities, the hospital worked with Roche Diagnostics to implement a new automated process for registering samples and to migrate to navify® Lab Operations—Roche’s middleware solution (formerly cobas infinity). This coincided with the lab’s transition to a new Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS). Together, these upgrades are streamlining processes and increasing resilience, ensuring clinicians and patients can rely on timely results for critical tests.
Powering the system and enabling secure, seamless data exchange is navify® Lab Operations. The middleware acts as a bridge between technologies, with its robust automation capabilities helping Noble’s pathology lab optimise workflows. The Roche Integrated Solutions team provided step-by-step support to design, implement, and integrate the system—delivering benefits from day one.
Success factors
I was surprised we didn’t just get a stock solution. Roche said: ‘Tell us what you want it to do, and we’ll help make it happen.’ That was a breath of fresh air.
The transition to Roche’s integrated technology has enabled the team at Noble’s to automate the registration of nearly all incoming samples—a task that previously required significant manual input.
Under the new system, samples move directly from reception to the analyser via Roche automation, with full traceability and automatic data capture. This solution saves time and allows staff to focus on other key lab activities. “Before, every sample had to be booked in by hand. That meant checking, typing and verifying thousands of samples a day,” says Ben. “It was our biggest bottleneck.”
The new lab processes are having a tangible, positive impact on both people and productivity. “It was a gruelling job just sitting there booking samples all day. Now our team has time to do proper quality checks and more meaningful work,” says Ben. He acknowledges that automation is driving improvements. “We’ve actually seen fewer mistakes since removing manual steps.”
By freeing up staff and improving workflow, the lab has reduced its reliance on temporary cover. “We haven’t had to increase headcount—and we’re actually spending less,” says Ben.
A key success factor in the project was its tailored approach. Rather than a standard system installation, the Roche Integrated Solutions team collaborated with Noble’s lab team to create a personalised system, software, and process design—fit for today and scalable for tomorrow.
The bespoke nature of the solution was welcomed. “I was surprised we didn’t just get a stock solution. Roche said: ‘Tell us what you want it to do, and we’ll help make it happen.’ That was a breath of fresh air,” says Ben.
Designed for the future
Roche and the Noble’s lab leadership team have built a modern lab capable of adapting to growing demand and evolving testing technologies.
The investment in lab technology has been significant, with the solution designed for long-term stability and scalability. Roche’s flexible systems, combined with ongoing training, enable Noble’s staff to continually update their skills and enhance patient outcomes.
Overall, the combination of a new LIMS, integration via navify® Lab Operations, and Roche’s technology is having a transformative impact. “We’ve gone from a setup that was working—but stretched—to one that flows,” says Ben. “Samples get processed faster, staff are more engaged, and the system can scale as we grow.”
Roche Integrated Solutions is all about connectivity and how this can deliver operational effectiveness in the lab. Integrating physical solutions in the lab via our navify® digital portfolio and providing the Roche service support that wraps around everything we offer aims to increase efficiency and, ultimately, to benefit patients.
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