Pathology
The Department of Pathology is one of the largest INAB accredited laboratories in the Republic of Ireland, delivering subspecialist pathology services for hospitals in Cork City, Cork County, and Kerry. It also provides Cytopathology services for the University Limerick Hospital Group (ULHG), and Molecular Pathology services for both ULHG and University Hospital Waterford (UHW). The Pathology department incorporates
- Histopathology
- Cytopathology
- Neuropathology
- Perinatal Pathology
- Immunocytochemistry
- Electron Microscopy
- Molecular Pathology; including Next Generation Sequencing
- and Post Mortem services.
All diagnostic services are Consultant delivered and Medical Scientists employed within the department are CORU registered. Education and training are an integral part of the daily routine within the laboratory, with established links to the Medical and Science faculties at University College Cork and the Department of Biological Sciences at Munster Technological University. The department has a well-established and structured training programme for Non Consultant Hospital Doctors (NCHDs), approved by the Irish Committee of Higher Medical Training/ Royal College of Pathologists. It also facilitates trainee medical scientist programmes approved by the Academy of Clinical Science and Laboratory Medicine. The laboratory is actively involved in both intradepartmental and collaborative research.
Cytology
The Cytology laboratory based at CUH processes approximately 9,000 samples annually for hospitals and GPs in the South West region and performs well within National Quality Improvement program KPIs for turnaround times and other quality indicators. All major specimen types are reported, utilising integrated molecular testing where appropriate. Cytopathologists provide an on-site evaluation / reporting service and FNA service on clinical request. The laboratory performs well in external technical quality control programs and is fully ISO accredited.