UK NEQAS Covid-19 testing EQA
UK NEQAS offers a range of EQA to support Covid-19 diagnostic and monitoring testing. Click here for more information.
Parasitology Teaching Day
Please click here for the latest status on this program. If you have registered for the Parasitology Teaching Day program your organisation will be invoiced accordingly. In the event a scheduled program is cancelled due to COVID-19, your booking will be carried forward to the following year or a credit balance held on account to offset against future UK NEQAS Haematology subscriptions. We will contact you later in the year to confirm these arrangements. If you have any questions, please email us here.
Extension to 20E4 closing date
As a result of the current and ongoing COVID-19 situation, we will be extending the closing date for 20E4 to Monday 4th May. This means that you will be able to continue testing and submitting results until the end of that day. We have altered our in-house testing to ensure that the material is checked for stability up until this new closing date.
2003F cancelled
As a direct result of the current COVID-19 situation we have taken the decision not to send the next FMH exercise 2003F. We have had to take this decision as we are unable to obtain any suitable raw material for the preparation of FMH samples. When things return to a state of normality, we hope to be able to provide additional samples in the future exercises so that we can continue to provide you with the appropriate level of performance monitoring over the course of the year.
Handling UK NEQAS Haematology and Transfusion specimens during the COVID-19 pandemic
UK NEQAS Haematology and Transfusion specimens are a low risk for Covid-19 infection, compared to clinical samples. We have undertaken a risk assessment and advice on handling our specimens and packages during the pandemic can be found here.
Extension to 2002AH closing dates
As a result of the Covid-19 emergency and public holidays in the UK, we have extended the closing date for 2002AH to 5 pm on Monday 20th April. In-house testing witll be extended to the same dates to validate sample quality and stability.
Extension to 2004FB and 2002DL closing dates
As a result of the Covid-19 emergency and public holidays in the UK, we have extended the closing dates for 2004FB and 2002DL to 5 pm on Thursday 16th April. In-house testing witll be extended to the same dates to validate sample quality and stability.
Postal delays to Haematology 20D distribution
We are aware that the postal deliveries may be delayed due to the current Covid-19 emergency. Participants are asked to check the update letter on amendments to our services, which includes guidance on submitting results late or what to do if you are unable to make a return. We realise the challenges faced by all our healthcare colleagues at the moment and intend that no participant is penalised for circumstances beyond their control.
Amended Haematology Distribution Schedules
We have reviewed our planned services with our advisors and agreed to focus on the high throughput, automated tests and those tests that support the UK national screening programmes during the Covid-19 emergency. Other services have been compressed or deferred to later in the year, with a small number of cancellations in April and May.
FMH exercise 2002F supply of material
Unfortunately, as a result of a supply issue at the last minute, we have been unable to source sufficient material to provide two samples for exercise 2002F. We will be providing only one sample of material for this exercise, contradicting the exercise instructions which were prepared ahead of time. This sample is labelled Patient 1.
We gave consideration to cancelling and moving the exercise to a different date, however with the rapidly changing situation around COVID-19, it seemed very unlikely that there would be any short-term improvement in access to material.
The data entry pages for the exercise will still have details for both Patients 1 and 2. We have marked all Patient 2 samples as “Unsatisfactory sample quality – Sample not received” so that you can submit results without entering data for Patient 2.
Please accept our apologies for any inconvenience caused by this change.
Recruitment for EQA Quality Improvement Plan
The Royal College of Pathologist has set up a new pathology wide External Quality Assurance (EQA) review programme to improve the governance and culture of pathology Quality Assurance (QA). This is an opportunity for experienced laboratory medicine professionals to contribute their expertise to the four workstreams that have been established. If you are interested, please click here for more information or email [email protected]
UK NEQAS Haematology
Re-registration is now closed.
For queries please contact [email protected]
2020/21/ PDF copies of exercise schedules have been uploaded and can be accessed in our documents section. You can also use our online schedules list by clicking here online schedules.
UK NEQAS Blood Transfusion Laboratory Practice BTLP
Re-registration is now closed.
For queries please contact [email protected]
2020/21/ PDF copies of exercise schedules have been uploaded and can be accessed in our documents section. You can also use our online schedules list by clicking here online schedules.
Professor Keith Hyde elected to the IBMS Council
We were delighted by the news that Professor Keith Hyde, former UK NEQAS Haematology Director, has been elected to the IBMS Council. Follow him on Twitter @kh2409.
Important notice – Pre Transfusion Testing scheme change
From 19R10 onward, Rh C,c,E,e and K typing is to be performed on the patient WHOLE BLOOD samples
The proposed change to the format of the routine Pre-Transfusion Testing (PTT) R exercises regarding phenotyping has been implemented with exercise 19R10. This is to replace phenotyping of donor samples for a nominated single blood group system with Rh and K typing of the patient whole blood samples.
The change has been made to reflect the work flow seen commonly in UK laboratories and to improve assessment for phenotyping. Where previously, each blood group system was assessed less than once a year, there will now be regular assessment of the phenotypes most commonly performed in routine pre-transfusion testing (Rh and K). Use of the whole blood samples allows automated testing in line with practice in many laboratories.
Phenotyping for a wider range of common red cell phenotypes on red cell samples suspended in Alsever’s solution is now available in the Extended Red Cell Phenotyping Pilot Scheme (ERP). ERP is distributed four times per year and participants need only return results for only those antigens tested for in clinical practice. Further information on ERP can be found on our website here.
If, based on this change, you would like to amend your registration for the PTT or ERP schemes you will have the opportunity to do so during annual re-registration in February 2020.
Please let us know at [email protected] if you have any comments or suggestions related to this change or any other aspect of the PTT exercises.
New Supplementary Report for the Blood Film Survey 1903BF Issued August 2019
There is a new supplementary report to the 1903BF report originally posted on the 4th June, describing an interesting morphological feature noted in the 1903BF2 film.
Haematology Automated Counting Advisory Group
UK NEQAS Haematology is looking to recruit an experienced Beckman Coulter instrument user to the Automated Counting Scientific Advisory Group. If you are interested or would like to know more, please email the Scheme Director ([email protected]).
New version of the Haematology Participants’ Manual Issued February 2020 available
The new version of the Haematology Participants’ Manual can be downloaded by clicking here.
New version of the BTLP Participants’ Manual Issued February 2020 available
The new version of the BTLP Participants’ Manual can be downloaded by clicking here.
Schedules
UK NEQAS Schedules for 2020/21
PDF copies of exercise schedules have been uploaded and can be accessed in our documents section. You can also use our new online schedules list by clicking here Online schedules.
The online schedules page allows you to view all the exercises along with the opening, closing and reporting dates. You will also be able to filter down and view schedules for individual shcemes. Further to this you can view an individualised schedule for your own PRN from that same page as long as you are logged in. To do this click the Login button, login with your PRN,Identity and Password and click the Distribution schedules option from the drop down menu with your initials.
All schedules allow you to export them as PDFs or Excel sheets so you can download and / or print them.