Maria Gemenetzi, senior laboratory technician and Tim Alston, technical director at Preventx.
Sheffield-based Preventx has secured a major new £200m contract as part of the London Sexual Health Transformation Programme.
The integrated diagnostics company, which tripled the size of its headquarters by moving to ARBA Group’s refurbished Meadowhall Business Park last June, offers world-class remote laboratory solutions and public screening services.
It won the contract to service the screenings delivered by the pan-London Sexual Health e-Service which is a new digital health initiative aimed at reducing the prevalence of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) such as HIV in London.
Londoners, who want a check-up for sexually transmitted infections but have no symptoms, will now be able to access information online and register to receive self-sampling kits allowing them, in many cases, to bypass clinic visits completely.
Preventx will be the lead provider but will bring in some additional support from Chelsea and Westminster NHS Foundation Trust, Lloyds Pharmacy Limited and Zesty in a contract which will last up to nine years.
Tim Alston, technical director at Preventx, said: “This contract win is an exciting time for us and also an important step forward in health screening.
“Our relocation to Meadowhall Business Park marked the beginning of a new phase in the development and expansion of Preventx meaning bigger premises and the upgrade of our testing facilities to become more efficient, and have room to expand.
“Previously we were conducting more than 150,000 health screenings a year, now we are looking at the possibility of up to four million and our new base has that capacity.
“We already have an excellent track record of providing high-quality innovative services for patients and working in partnership with the NHS across the country and are now also looking at recruiting extra staff on top of our current team of 15.”
The new e-service is the result of a unique collaboration between 29 London boroughs which commission sexual health services and was developed following comprehensive consultations with patients and clinicians.
The service is being rolled out across most of London, with an emphasis on supporting people who currently attend clinics to use the online service to free up clinic space on the ground.
Preventx was set up in 2007 and works with local authorities and NHS Trusts to deliver integrated screening services across 87% of England.
It has won numerous awards and currently provides a fully integrated remote chlamydia screening service to over 100 local authority areas around England and also operates Public Health England’s HIV testing initiatives.
Richard Burns, director at ARBA Group, said: “This is fantastic news for
Subscribe
Our BQ Bulletin emails will land in your inbox at 7.30am, Monday to Friday, with a mix of the latest local business news, national news, and features to inspire you. Sign up here!
Click here to read our privacy statement
Copyright © 2017 BQ
Powered by Miles 33