WYAAT is pleased to announce that Bassaire Cleanrooms Ltd has been appointed as the preferred partner to progress the internal fit out of the new regional pharmacy aseptics hub, based in South Leeds.

Bassaire Cleanrooms Ltd have over 70 years’ experience in the design, manufacture, installation, validation, and maintenance of cleanrooms. They have worked with several NHS and industry partners on pharmaceutical cleanrooms including, Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust (LTHT), Sheffield Children's Hospital and Baxter Healthcare.

Due to the specialist nature of aseptic manufacturing, production capacity is currently limited. However, the demand for aseptic services continues to rise due to increasing need for cancer therapies, immunotherapy, and intravenous antibiotics.

In 2022, WYAAT was identified as a national pathfinder site as part of the Transformation of Aseptic Services in England Programme and was subsequently allocated £24million of national capital from NHS England (NHSE). Plans to build a central West Yorkshire hub, which will be hosted by LTHT, began soon after.

Once complete, the new facility will manufacture approximately 450,000 doses of ready-to-administer injectable medicines for hospitals across West Yorkshire and Harrogate, to meet the rising demand and ensure patients across the region get essential treatment. This increased aseptic capacity will also release vital nursing time, which would have been spent preparing the medicines in clinical areas, back into patient care.

WYAAT Director, Lucy Cole, said: “This announcement marks the start of an important milestone for WYAAT, as our pharmacy aseptics hub will be the first of its kind in Yorkshire to manufacture large volumes of ready-to-administer medicines.”

Head of Service for the Hub, Dr Andrew Lowey, said: “The opening of the hub will create 80 new jobs. We will be offering apprenticeship opportunities for people to get the skills they need to start a career in aseptic production, to help us build a workforce for the future.”

Director of Bassaire Cleanrooms Ltd, Phil Arden, said: “Bassaire are delighted and excited to be selected as the preferred partner on the new WYAAT Aseptic Hub. We have followed the Transformation of Aseptic Services in England Programme closely over the past few years with great interest and to be a part of this transformative project is a privilege. We are looking forward to developing, delivering, and documenting the progress of this exciting project over the coming months.”

Work is due to start at the new facility in the coming weeks, with the project due for completion by the end of 2026.

More information is available on the WYAAT Pharmacy Aseptics webpage.