The NHS is undergoing one of the most significant transformations in its history: the consolidation of pathology services into regional networks.
On paper, the objectives are clear. The aim is to improve efficiency, reduce duplication, and deliver consistent standards of care across the country. In practice, however, this represents a fundamental restructuring of how laboratories operate, how staff interact, and how procurement decisions affect entire regions.
For procurement leaders and clinical managers, the challenge is not whether consolidation will happen. The challenge is how to make it work safely, sustainably and effectively. The outcome of this reform depends heavily on the suppliers chosen to underpin the new model. In a system already under intense pressure, choosing the wrong partner is not only a missed opportunity but also a potential risk to patients, staff and public trust.
This raises a critical question: what should decision-makers demand from suppliers in a consolidated pathology environment?
Why Consolidation Raises the Stakes
Pathology has always been the unsung backbone of healthcare. From routine blood tests to life-saving transfusions, it underpins diagnosis, treatment and prevention across every discipline.
Until recently, most NHS trusts managed their own pathology laboratories, often across multiple hospitals. This created a patchwork of systems and processes. Some were highly effective, while others were outdated, with significant variation in cost and quality.
The hub-and-spoke model now being introduced seeks to address this.
-
Hub laboratories: central sites with the majority of testing capacity, advanced equipment and specialist staff.
-
Spoke laboratories: smaller, local units handling urgent or routine work, integrated into the hub for oversight and consistency.
The potential benefits are clear: fewer duplications, greater economies of scale, and smoother data flows across regions. Yet centralisation also introduces new risks. A single failure in a hub can disrupt services for several hospitals. Staff moving between sites require consistent systems and processes. Procurement teams are no longer buying for one hospital; they may be buying for three, four or five at the same time.
In other words, consolidation magnifies both opportunity and risk.
The Case for Supplier Rigour
In this environment, the role of suppliers is pivotal. The systems chosen will determine whether consolidation achieves the promised £200 million in savings or whether inefficiencies are simply shifted from one part of the network to another.
Decision-makers should therefore bring a new level of rigour to supplier evaluation. It is not enough to ask whether a product works. The real question is whether it enables consolidation to succeed.
Four Non-Negotiables for Supplier Evaluation
When assessing suppliers, procurement and clinical leaders should insist on four non-negotiable qualities. These are not optional extras. They are the essential criteria that distinguish suppliers who merely adapt to consolidation from those who truly enable it.
1. Proven Scalability Across Networks
In the past, it was sufficient for a supplier to serve a single hospital trust. Now they must demonstrate that their systems scale across multiple trusts, hospitals and user groups without losing consistency.
Staff should encounter the same processes, interfaces and safeguards whether they are working in a spoke laboratory in a rural setting or a central hub in a city. Anything less risks duplication and confusion.
Questions to ask include:
-
Can the system operate seamlessly across both hub and spoke laboratories?
-
How do you ensure consistent training and user experience across sites?
-
What evidence can you provide of successful multi-site deployments at scale?
Scalability is not just a technical issue. It is about building confidence across a workforce already stretched by change.
2. Assured Compliance and Patient Safety
Safety in pathology is non-negotiable. Blood products, medicines and biological samples are highly sensitive, and even a single lapse can have serious consequences. In a consolidated network, the risks multiply. If a system fails in one hub, it may undermine services across several trusts.
Suppliers must therefore prove that their systems are not only compliant but also resilient under pressure. This requires:
-
Accreditation and validation by recognised authorities.
-
Demonstrated accuracy in monitoring and reporting.
-
Transparent audit trails capable of withstanding scrutiny.
Key questions include:
-
How is compliance assured across multiple sites?
-
What independent validation is available?
-
How do you minimise the risk of failure?
Patient safety cannot depend on goodwill. It must be designed into every product and deployment.
3. Minimal Implementation Burden
Consolidation is already disruptive. Staff are adapting to new workflows and responsibilities. The last thing they need is a system that adds complexity.
The right supplier will make implementation almost invisible. Deployment should be quick, intuitive and well supported. Systems should fit naturally into existing workflows rather than forcing clinicians to adopt entirely new ones.
Key questions include:
-
How long does implementation typically take across a network?
-
What support is provided during deployment?
-
How do you minimise disruption for frontline staff?
A supplier that cannot deploy smoothly risks undermining the very efficiencies consolidation is designed to deliver.
4. Alignment with Strategic Goals
Suppliers must be more than vendors. They must act as partners in the NHS’s strategic objectives. Their solutions should not be presented as standalone products but as enablers of:
-
Cost savings through reduced duplication and waste.
-
Standardisation across sites, teams and processes.
-
Risk reduction at both operational and clinical levels.
The NHS is not only buying technology. It is buying confidence in a new model of care. Suppliers must be able to show how their solutions support that vision.
Perspectives by Persona
Different stakeholders face different pressures. The ideal supplier will speak to each.
-
Procurement Directors want scalable solutions that simplify contracts and deliver tangible savings. They value reliability, compliance and vendor consolidation.
-
Pathology and Clinical Managers want systems that keep patients safe and staff confident. They value standardisation, ease of training and tools that reduce risk.
-
Operational and Estates Leaders want assurance that implementation will not overwhelm teams or disrupt services. They value quick deployment, minimal disruption and integration into existing infrastructure.
Suppliers must therefore demonstrate flexibility, showing that their systems address the needs of the whole network, not just one group.
Beyond Pathology: A Wider Trend
Pathology consolidation is part of a broader movement in healthcare: centralisation, standardisation and scale. Diagnostics, digital records and supply chains are all heading in the same direction.
For suppliers, this means the challenge is not confined to pathology. It reflects the new reality of procurement. Success now depends on operating across entire networks, delivering systems that are efficient, safe and trusted.
Final Thought: Choosing Partners for Transformation
Pathology consolidation is about more than reorganising laboratories. It is about rebuilding confidence in systems, processes and suppliers.
Procurement leaders and clinical managers have a choice. They can select suppliers who provide technology in isolation, or they can partner with those who deliver on the wider vision:
-
Scalable solutions that unify networks.
-
Proven compliance that protects patients.
-
Seamless deployment that supports staff.
-
Strategic alignment that drives consolidation’s goals.
The right suppliers will not simply adjust to consolidation. They will enable it. They will act as partners in transformation, helping the NHS deliver safer, more efficient and more consistent care for millions of patients.
Checkit has been a trusted partner of the NHS for decades, serving hospitals and networks across the UK. If you would like to explore this further, we would be glad to connect.
