By Julian Seva

A SHORTAGE of laboratory consultants at the Alexandra Hospital is not causing any "undue delay" to patients awaiting medical test results, say health chiefs.

But Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust is urgently trying to plug the gap after a report revealed consultant workload in the histopathology laboratories is "considered too great for the current number of consultant staff".

The report for the trust board, by director of nursing Rachel Overfield, said this had to be resolved by June if the trust's pathology service was to maintain its Government "comprehensive performance assessment" accreditation.

A trust spokesman said: "Like many trusts, we are experiencing some difficulty in recruiting histopathologists because there is a national shortage of trained staff.

"At busy times we are able to use the services of other laboratories to make sure there are no undue delays in giving patients their test results.

"The directorate team are also looking for longer term solutions."

Meanwhile, there was praise for the hospital's new Daycase Surgery Unit after a visit by Dr Emmett White, consultant anaesthetist based at Warwick Hospital, the champion for daycase surgery in the Midlands.

Dr White visits annually to assess day surgery performance and congratulated the unit, given "very difficult circumstances" over the last year.

More beds have been provided recently and cancellations of daycase surgery appointments have reduced.