The Histopathology Department Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (CUH) provides a comprehensive range of histological and cytological pathological services. These services include the routine and specialised examination of tissue samples (including immunocytochemistry and electron microscopy), diagnostic screening of body fluids and aspirates, and coroner's autopsies.
These services are fully supported and led by Royal College of Pathologists (RCPath) registered consultant clinical staff and Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) registered senior biomedical scientists.
Opening hours
The Histopathology Department is open for the routine examination of specimens from 08:30 to 17:30 Monday to Friday and on Saturday for deliveries from 09:00 to 12:00.
Contact details
Departmental Clinical Lead: Dr Michael Eden
Histopathology Manager: Zahrah Rosun
Contact Histopathology and cytology via its Enquiries line
Telephone: 01223 217163
Histopathology service update
Re: Relocation of the Histopathology Laboratory & Impact on Service Delivery
We write to inform you that from 30th August 2025 the Histopathology and Diagnostic Cytology laboratory will be starting its relocation from its current site to the newly commissioned Histopathology laboratory at 1000 Discovery Drive on the Cambridge Biomedical Campus. The move is expected to take place over 5 weekends and the service will be fully operational by 1st October 2025. This move is a key milestone in our programme to enhance diagnostic capability and modernise facilities for all our service users.
Expected Impact on Turnaround Times
During the relocation period, you may notice some delays in turnaround time. While we anticipate that most services will continue with minimal interruption, some extended turnaround times (TAT) are likely as we pack, transport, recommission instruments and verify equipment and workflows in the new facility. To minimise the impact on patient care, we have put in place a series of mitigations:
• Phased Transition & Continuity Plan - A comprehensive, phased transition schedule has been drafted to ensure uninterrupted service throughout the move. The relocation will occur in defined stages—by function and workflow—to minimise disruption. Each phase includes packing, transport, installation, verification and staff competency checks before any routine activity resumes.
• Additional Staffing Resources – There are overtime, bank and agency shifts available for laboratory and administrative staff to bolster our core teams throughout September and October, including weekends.
• Targeted Outsourcing – Where capacity is constrained, selected samples may be outsourced to an accredited partner laboratory.
UKAS Accreditation Scope
As part of the move, the new laboratory location and the activities that will be performed in the new location will be temporarily out of scope of our UKAS ISO 15189:2022 accreditation, until a formal relocation/extension to scope assessment can be completed. We have already submitted our extension-to-scope application to UKAS, and an extension to scope assessment is scheduled for mid-October 2025. Until accreditation is formally re-issued, any tests performed in the new building will not be under our scope of UKAS accreditation, although they will continue to meet our internal and external quality and clinical standards.
Please be assured that patient safety, sample integrity and diagnostic quality remain our highest priorities throughout this transition. We will notify you as soon as full UKAS accreditation is re-instated post relocation. Thank you for your understanding and continued collaboration.
Should you have any questions about specific tests or referral pathways during this period, please contact Histopathology Laboratory Manager – Zahrah Rosun Zahrah.rosun@nhs.net Histopathology Clinical Lead – Dr Michael Eden m.eden@nhs.net If you require an urgent result, please contact the department via its enquiries line ext. 217163 (if external 01223 217163) or send an email to add-tr.cuh.histopathology@nhs.net so that this can be escalated appropriately.
The Histopathology department has had its accreditation to ISO15189:2012 re-instated following its August 2024 assessment.
Due to a significant increase in the number Histopathology investigations since the end of the COVID pandemic the Cambridge Histopathology laboratory has not been meeting the turnaround time reporting standards to which we aspire:
- 80% within 7 days
- 90% within 10 days
- 95% within 21 days
An improvement programme has been implemented and the laboratory is working on a number of initiatives to increase capacity. This includes the use of digital imaging (replacing microscopy) and automated microtomy on some samples. These are outside the current scope of accreditation.
Cases referred to the Histopathology laboratory are classified as ‘cancer pathway’ (CP) where the clinician thinks that cancer may be a possibility, or ‘non-cancer pathway’ (non-CP) for routine cases. Information on the current turnaround time (TAT) performance is shown below.
Monthly Cancer Pathway TAT (Turnaround time)
| 7 Day TAT | 10 Day TAT | 21 Day TAT | Number of Cases | Total Slides | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 7 Day TAT | 10 Day TAT | 21 Day TAT | Number of Cases | Total Slides |
| Apr | 7 Day TAT 66.41% | 10 Day TAT 80.08% | 21 Day TAT 94.92% | Number of Cases 3308 | Total Slides 25803 |
| May | 7 Day TAT 64.81% | 10 Day TAT 81.74% | 21 Day TAT 96.85% | Number of Cases 3433 | Total Slides 26686 |
| Jun | 7 Day TAT 61.47% | 10 Day TAT 75.64% | 21 Day TAT 94.75% | Number of Cases 4397 | Total Slides 34281 |
| Jul | 7 Day TAT 68.41% | 10 Day TAT 80.66% | 21 Day TAT 95.70% | Number of Cases 3299 | Total Slides 26207 |
Monthly Non-Cancer Pathway TAT (Turnaround time)
| 7 Day TAT | 10 Day TAT | 21 Day TAT | Number of Cases | Total Slides | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 7 Day TAT | 10 Day TAT | 21 Day TAT | Number of Cases | Total Slides |
| Apr | 7 Day TAT 51.19% | 10 Day TAT 68.55% | 21 Day TAT 94.35% | Number of Cases 2143 | Total Slides 9821 |
| May | 7 Day TAT 52.29% | 10 Day TAT 75.24% | 21 Day TAT 94.75% | Number of Cases 2096 | Total Slides 9873 |
| Jun | 7 Day TAT 47.04% | 10 Day TAT 70.57% | 21 Day TAT 93.22% | Number of Cases 2817 | Total Slides 13451 |
| Jul | 7 Day TAT 60.76% | 10 Day TAT 76.54% | 21 Day TAT 91.95% | Number of Cases 1850 | Total Slides 9781 |
For professionals
More information is available to staff via the Histopathology page on Connect (opens in a new tab) (login required), including the Histopathology user handbook.