Spire Healthcare has purchased 17 ABX Pentra 80 haematology analysers from Horiba Medical to support its UK pathology network.

The purchase reflects Spire's intention to expand its pathology services in the near future.

"Having an analyser and technology that can grow with us, and receiving professional, proactive and friendly service and training from Horiba Medical, enables us to provide equally excellent service to our own customers," said Tim Woolley, Pathology Services Manager at Spire Healthcare"

Features that helped Horiba Medical to gain the contract include:

• The design of the ABX Pentra 80 - an integrated workstation with LCD-colour touch screen and autoloader, minimising its space requirement.

• Its record of successful high-throughput use, demonstrating its suitability for use in medical laboratories with a steadily increasing workload.

• The installation speed and training from Horiba Medical, who took less than six weeks to build, deliver and run the 17 analysers.

Cleve Wright, Horiba Medical's UK Manager, commented: "It is our great pleasure to work with such a professional and forward-thinking organisation. Being able to work directly with the key stakeholders at Spire allowed us to secure and deliver on this significant contract in record time. We look forward to a long and mutually beneficial partnership."

Spire Healthcare is the second largest group of private hospitals in the UK, operating 17 laboratories to support its 37 hospitals. It also provides laboratory services to external clients including NHS hospitals, GPs and the UK's largest health screening organisation.

Headquartered in France, Horiba Medical is a leading developer and manufacturer of haematology diagnostic systems.

ABX Pentra 80 haematology analyser