The Pathology Centre is a new, state-of-the-art facility which operates at the cutting edge of the delivery of pathology services in the UK.
The specialist unit contains some globally recognised new technology that provides health professionals with all the medical testing needed to run a modern hospital and deliver fast, accurate results for patients.
The new £12m centre already provides most of the pathology services for the NHS across Gateshead, Sunderland and South Tyneside but it is now expanding to offer testing in a range of medical and other sectors.
The fantastic new unit is packed with the latest technology which is housed in the futuristic new building at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital site in Gateshead.One of the main advantages of the new centre is that it is fully automated, minimising human interaction with samples, which means there is less chance of contamination or getting the wrong results.
The Microbiology Laboratory aims to provide a comprehensive routine and emergency diagnostic service. In the interests of efficiency and effectiveness the service is delivered with the majority of investigations being performed in-house wherever numbers, service demands and costs allow.
The department has a range of fully automated equipment for both molecular testing and bacteriology permitting high throughput testing and rapid reporting mechanisms
We are dedicated to providing the best quality service possible. To this end there are always people available to offer advice, assistance with interpretation and help in deciding on further investigations.

Out of hours’ service
The laboratory is staffed to provide 24hr a day service