Microbiology department
The microbiology department for South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust operates out of the pathology department based at The James Cook University Hospital, Middlesbrough.
Our department offers a wide range of clinical and technical expertise through on-site consultant microbiologists and dedicated laboratory-based staff, who aim to provide a timely and high-quality diagnostic and advisory service to patients in the trust and local community.
For further information on the location of our lab and core hours, please visit our locations and core hours page.
Further information surrounding the quality assurance and governance procedures within Microbiology are available.
UKAS accreditation
South Tees Pathology Service (excluding the Andrology Service) is a UKAS accredited medical laboratory (No. 9210) to the ISO15189:2012 standards for medical laboratories.
Our accreditation is limited to those activities described on our UKAS schedule of accreditation.
Bacteriology department
Bacteriology is responsible for the culture, isolation, detection and identification of micro-organisms including bacteria, fungi and parasites, obtained from various sites of the body. A wide range of specimen types including swabs, faeces, urine samples, respiratory specimens, blood and cerebrospinal fluid are accepted for investigation.
The bacteriology department offers a 24/7 service, 365 days a year with a wide range of investigations offered both in core hours and out of hours. For further information please refer to our core hours.
For more information please consult the bacteriology handbook.
Virology department
Virology is responsible for the detection of viral infections, immunity investigations, toxin detection and outbreak monitoring. In virology, different techniques are used to perform investigations and confirmation testing on a range of clinical samples. For virology advice please see the virology user guide.
All information available has been provided by the microbiology department. The scope of the information provided covers all testing procedures offered by the microbiology department. It does not cover clinical advice, antibiotic prescribing, antibiotic stewardship, outbreak management or infection prevention and control procedures – for further information on these areas, please visit our useful links.
The intended users of this information are clinical staff and registered health care professionals. Patients accessing this guide for information purposes are advised to not use this information for self-diagnosis, and should they have any concerns about their personal health, please contact a GP.
For more information please consult the virology handbook.
For any further information or to discuss any of the services we offer, please visit our opening times and useful contacts or alternatively contact:
- Bacteriology lead biomedical scientist: [email protected]
- Virology lead biomedical scientist: [email protected]
- Microbiology senior team: stees.bacteriologyseniorbmsteam
Overview of services offered
The microbiology service performs an array of diagnostic services in house, utilising reference laboratories for specialised or intermittently requested tests. The laboratory operates 24/7, 365 days a year with the technical team continuously on site.
The bacteriology test directory can be found following the link. Each test link provides specific information for:
- Background
- Patient preparation
- Specimen requirements
- Minimum volume
- Turnaround time
Quick guides for:
- E-swab sample collection
- MRSA screen E-swab collection
- Corneal scrape procedure
For any further information regarding testing, please contact the laboratory.
Specimen request forms MUST be received, fully completed, with every sample sent to Microbiology. To avoid rejection of the sample, please ensure the specimen and form have been appropriately and correctly labelled.
This procedure applies to all samples sent to the laboratory for both manual and electronic requests. Instructions on the requirements for specimen labelling and request form completion can be found following the link.
Information surrounding how results are reported, how to enquire about results, and interpretation guidelines can be found following the link.
Minimum retesting intervals for each type of test can be found following the link. These have been produced in line with national guidelines published by the Royal College of Pathologists.
To contact patient flow regarding phlebotomy requests please use the numbers below. If you are calling from outside the Trust, please call switch board on 01642 850850 and then dial the appropriate extension number.
- James Cook University Hospital: ext 55242
- Friarage Hospital: ext 64928