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Take a look behind the scenes at our pathology laboratory at Lithgow Hospital and meet some of the team caring for the local community.
Matthew O’Neal has been NSW Health Pathology’s laboratory manager at Lithgow since 2007.
During his 39-year career in pathology Matthew has worked in both the private and public sector, starting in Sydney and moving to Bathurst in the NSW Central West, before settling in Lithgow.
He says the small team is like a family and proud to be providing pathology services seven days a week to the Lithgow and surrounding community.
“Lithgow is a really great place to work and as lab manager I try to ensure the workplace is rewarding for our team,” he said.
“We’ve got a heavy focus on outpatients here, easily a third of our work is related to outpatients.
The Lithgow laboratory boasts the latest technology, with a new chemical pathology analyser installed in July 2023 as part of NSW Health Pathology’s $29 million investment to upgrade analysers across Sydney and regional NSW, bringing in new levels of automation and standardisation.
The lab performs approximately 96,000 tests each year on around 20,000 samples with turn-around for most tests less than one hour.
The Lithgow laboratory performs all routine testing for Lithgow Hospital and local Justice Health; we recently added to our testing menu for the hospital’s Ambulatory Care Clinic to improve the service. Our twice-daily links with Nepean and Westmead Hospitals as well as the entire state-wide network supplement our test menu.
Matthew says he’s especially proud that the Lithgow lab and collection service is open seven days a week.
“I know the importance of having pathology services in the local community,” he said.
“My sister was diagnosed with a brain tumour in 2014. It made me realise how difficult it can be for people to get to a collection service when it’s only open in business hours.
“Our collection service is open at Lithgow Hospital seven days a week, 7½ hours a day on weekdays from 8:30am to 4pm, and on weekends 10.30am to 1pm.
“We also have a collection service at Portland MPS, with more limited opening hours of 8.30am to 11.30am weekdays, so we are serving our community as much as possible.
“The laboratory is accessible to the hospital every day of the year – even Christmas Day – to provide fast and accurate results for patients and clinicians across the region,” Matthew said.
“We are on-call for the hospital Emergency Department and surgical theatres for any cases deemed clinically urgent 24 hours a day, seven days a week.”
Meet Cassandra Quinn – Technical Assistant (pathology collector)
Cassandra Quinn began work at the Lithgow laboratory in 2024 and says she enjoys the practical nature of being a collector.
She says collections allows her to engage directly with patients as well as perform technical tasks in the lab.
“I enjoy helping others and through pathology collection I can contribute to patient care, supporting patients through their healthcare journey,” she said.
“But what I enjoy the most is performing technical tasks such as drawing blood samples and processing.”
Cassandra Quinn in the collections room at Lithgow.
Cassandra says the team at Lithgow is incredibly supportive and working with a smaller team gives her the opportunity to learn from her more experienced colleagues.
“I’ve also recently been given an amazing opportunity to expand my knowledge and further my career by commencing my Certificate 4 in Laboratory Techniques through NSW Health Pathology.”
When it comes to living in Lithgow, Cassandra says she loves the stunning landscape and the sense of community in the town.
“I am a bodybuilder, cross-fitter and aerial athlete. I do all of these things locally which has allowed me to make an amazing social network here in Lithgow.
“With my newfound fit friends I go on some of the amazing trail runs in my surrounding area and join in a local bush walk every first Sunday of the month.”
Meet Hospital Scientist, Ryan Benton
Ryan is a Hospital Scientist at Lithgow laboratory and his work involves analysing samples, monitoring quality control and transfusion medicine.
His career with NSW Health Pathology began in 2018 when he started as a Technical Assistant at the Orange Laboratory.
“I’ve always had a broad interest in science and the human body, and pathology allowed me to be able to apply that in a field that is directly beneficial to the care of people in my community,” Ryan explains.
“What I love about my work, especially in a small lab such as Lithgow, is that it contains such variety.
“You frequently switch between chemistry, haematology and transfusion in a way that keeps the job engaging.
“The role also allows you to be much more patient facing, as we frequently collect blood from patients in both inpatient and outpatient settings. I believe this helps to put a face to the work we are doing and acts a positive reminder that our patients are more than just tubes and numbers.”
Ryan grew up in a rural area of the Northern Territory and says he feels at home living and working in regional NSW.
He says he enjoys working within a small team environment and collaborating with other staff and departments throughout Lithgow hospital.
“Outside of work, my spare time is spent with my family and with my church. My wife and I are currently raising our 11-month-old son, who is a lot of work but also a lot of fun and a constant source of joy,” Ryan said. “My faith is very important to me.”