Seven-day working was introduced in the microbiology department to provide quicker sample results for patients.
The switch from a Monday to Friday service, which was backed by an on-call emergency system, now means staff work five days out of seven, which can involve weekends. The Microbiology Department at Forth Valley Royal Hospital tests more than 280,000 samples a year including bloods, urine and swabs, and around 70% of patient diagnoses are due to laboratory results.
