NEW YORK – Two NHS Foundation Trusts in the UK have signed a contract with Swedish medical imaging firm Sectra that will allow them to introduce Sectra's digital pathology platform to the local healthcare systems.
Linköping-based Sectra announced its contracts with the East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust and the West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust on Monday. The two East of England trusts serve a population of more than 1 million people.
Under the terms of the agreement, Sectra will provide both trusts with access to the Digital Pathology Module of its Sectra One Cloud imaging service. Sectra said it will take responsibility for all hardware, software, and other IT components involved.
Other terms of the deal, including financial terms, were not disclosed.
Jane Rendall, managing director for Sectra in the UK and Ireland, said in a statement that the two trusts are "at the forefront" of a transformation across the NHS to digital pathology services. She added that the East of England trusts have been "particularly innovative in their use of cloud computing to ensure their program remains scalable and sustainable."
Sarah Rollo, pathology project manager at West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust, said that the COVID-19 pandemic has reinforced the need to be able to access slides remotely, and that by using Sectra's platform, they will be able to report on cases from home as soon as images have been issued by the laboratory. Consultants will also be able to collaborate from different remote locations. The Spectra platform will also enable improved data sharing with specialist hospitals.
According to Sectra, the platform will support around 1.5 million examinations per year, and will later support the use of emerging technologies, such as AI, into the diagnostic pathway. Sectra noted that the East of England trusts will be the first in the UK to introduce its digital pathology platform on the Microsoft Azure Cloud.
Sectra in 2020 gained US Food and Drug Administration 510(k) clearance for its module.