National Pathology Exchange provides robust infrastructure to covid-19 response

Gill and colleagues raise valid points on why local authorities did not have access to data to detect localised outbreaks of covid-19.1 They also state, however, that “test results have been reaching [Public Health England] via a tortuous route encompassing the National Pathology Exchange (NPEx) and NHS Digital and often lack basic essential details such as NHS number and postcode.”

NPEx is not a tortuous route, but rather the opposite. It is part of the architecture of UK pathology …