NEQAS

NEQAS is the organisation by which most (if not all) hospital laboratories are signed up to for quality assurance purposes - and is a voluntary scheme. However to be ISO (previously CPA) accredited, labs must sign up to NEQAS - and so is in effect a requirement.

Different aspects of pathology will have different subsections within NEQAS - for example in Haematology there are a number of sections including FBC and haematinics; Transfusion is a separate component as is Coagulation.

The results obtained from laboratories nationally are expected to form a parametric distribution. Of the results:

A/a will contain 25% of all the results (so A+a combined will be 50% of all results)

B/b = 10% of all results

C/c = 5% of all results

D/d = 5% of all results

E/e = 5% of all results

While (internal) quality control assures that there is reliable assay reproducibility, NEQAS introduces (external) quality assessment and compares results across the country (ie. are the results in my lab the same as those in the rest of the country?). The system is designed to test:

- accuracy of laboratory tests

- performance of equipment and reagents used

- integrity of testing systems

- proficiency of staff

Other countries also participate in quality assessment with NEQAS, but the majority of the participating labs are in the UK. Most labs will have a dedicated NEQAS biomedical scientist responsible for liaising with NEQAS and for ensuring that all paperwork and administration is completed in time for each review.

Questions on NEQAS usually focus on two main areas:

1. Function and utility of NEQAS

2. Management of the laboratory (in your position as consultant haematologist) when there are issues with reliability and accuracy as reported by NEQAS

<Picture of results here related nationally and to specific machines>

Coagulation

Transfusion