Our laboratories provide direct clinical, diagnostic and public health microbiological services to NHS Trusts and to community health services.
The ESNEFT Microbiology Service is managed as a single service and has laboratories on both the Colchester and Ipswich Hospital sites. This service is part of the ESNEFT Pathology Service, which is in the Cancer and Diagnostics Division of the Trust. The service provides a microbiology service to Colchester and Ipswich hospital, and North Essex and Suffolk CCG’s. It also provides a high throughput COVID testing service to other laboratories within the Mid 6 Network of Laboratories.
Our laboratories provide direct clinical, diagnostic and public health microbiological services to NHS Trusts and to community health services.
Microbiology test requests which are outside the scope of the tests offered by the laboratory will be sent to a number of ISO15189 Accredited Laboratories.
Microbiology at Ipswich is Accredited by UKAS for a limited scope of tests to ISO 15189:2012 28655 Medical Multiple
Grant of Accreditation letter
Click to view
Advice and Information
Medical and technical members of staff are available on the telephone, for advice interpretation of results, transport of specimens, the correct containers and fixatives to use, and the requirements for sample labelling and request form completion.
Handbooks and useful information
ESNEFT Microbiology User Guide MM-ALL-INFO-33 v2
ESNEFT Microbiology Test List MM-ALL-INFO-28 v 9.xlsx
Chlamydia and Gonorrhea test collection information links.
Vaginal Samples
Endocervical samples
Rectal Samples
Throat
The fact sheet below is useful guide for avoiding inhibitory substances in the sample collection process:
cobas® CT/NG and cobas® TV/MG Tests – Interfering substances reference guide.pdf