A revolutionary biological analyser purchased by the League of Friends of Noble's Hospital will improve diagnosis and treatment times for patients with serious bacterial and viral infections.

The League of Friends agreed to purchase the state of the art equipment which will allow the Biomedical Scientists in Pathology Laboratory to identify germs that cause infection, such as meningitis, encephalitis and some respiratory diseases, at a much earlier stage.

Minister for Health and Social Care, Howard Quayle MHK said: “The Department is sincerely grateful for the continuous support from the League of Friends of Noble’s Hospital in providing innovative technology, such as this, to improve services for people who really do need care in hospital.”

Pathology Manager at Noble’s Hospital, Stephen Doyle explained: “When a patient is suspected of having a serious infection, a sample of blood or bodily fluid is taken by the nurse or doctor, and sent to the microbiology lab for testing.

“At the moment, this testing involves a number of different scientific processes so results can take between two and ten days to be available. This can mean that doctors cannot be sure that the treatment given to the patient is best suited to their infection.”

Rebbeca Shields, Chief Biomedical Scientist said: “This new equipment, BioFire FilmArray PCR, analyses for infections at a genetic level. A sample does not need to contain many bacteria or viruses. The analysis is rapid, meaning that a result can be made available to the doctor in an hour so that appropriate targeted treatment can be given.”

“We are so grateful for the support a from the League of Friends of Noble’s Hospital that we have named the equipment in honour of their donation – ‘League Of Friends Thank You’ – LOFTY.”

Chris Kelly from the League of Friends of Noble's Hospital said: “We were delighted to be able to fund this state of art equipment which will impact patient care with fast diagnosis and treatment of serious infections. We are touched that the team has named the piece of equipment in recognition.”