Pathology News to analyse group and screen samples at both the UHND and DMH site. Issue:2 November Turnaround times will be improved 2019 as this technology is quicker than conventional methods and reduces the need for manual methods. Service users should not notice a difference in The New Pathology News how their patients’ results are reported. Welcome to the newsletter for GP surgeries of County During the transition period, the new analyser Durham and Darlington. This newsletter aims to provide will not be included in the laboratory’s UKAS communication to all users of our laboratories on a scope of accreditation. This does not affect the number of topics from daily laboratory life, new service quality or standards of the results produced; it developments and changes in practice and staff news is a temporary state while the department and announcement. As the newsletter develops it is awaits re-assessment at the end of June. The hoped that every specialty will contribute with special identification accreditation will be reinstated features on individual laboratories plan. once all UKAS requirements have been demonstrated. Departmental Developments Please contact the laboratory if you require any Blood Transfusion- New Technology further information. Change in Practice Biochemistry Cessation of urine pregnancy testing for general practice. A few surgeries continue to send urine samples for The Transfusion team is pleased to announce pregnancy testing to the laboratory for confirmatory the introduction of an exciting new analyser to testing. We would like to inform you that this service the laboratory: the IH100, this will now be used will no longer be available from Friday the 1st of November 2019. 1 The urine pregnancy test offered by the laboratory has no advantage or greater sensitivity than the devices/strips that are available to be used within the home or general practice. If there is any doubt relating to a result from a urine pregnancy test, we advise that you repeat the test after a period of 48 hours. If this is still equivocal or the clinician has concerns we would recommend you send a serum hCG into the Clinical Biochemistry department for analysis (yellow top sample). If you have any questions relating to this please contact Laboratory News Dr Tim Lang ([email protected] ). UKAS Accreditation Sweat testing After discussions over several months between CDDFT Pathology Laboratories are mainly accredited to the laboratory and the department of ISO 15189:2012, however due to the nature of the way paediatrics the laboratory will be removing the in which UKAS grants accreditation, it is the test that is accredited and not the laboratory. sweat testing service as of the 1st December 2019 due to the following reasons. Following UKAS maintains a register of laboratories that are the introduction of newborn bloodspots accredited to ISO 15189:2012, which can be accessed via screening for cystic fibrosis in 2009 the the UKAS website (https://www.ukas.com/search- workload for requests of sweat tests has accredited-organisations/). The UKAS website holds a significantly reduced as evidenced through schedule of accreditation for the laboratory that lists the work load figures, a regional survey and audit individual tests for which the laboratory are currently performed by a foundation year doctor. accredited for. Other tests may be awaiting completion Secondly the laboratory due to the reduction in of Extension to Scope (i.e. new test that is in the process requests are not able to maintain sufficient of being added to the schedule of accreditation) and / or competencies to provide a safe and quality transitioning from CPA accreditation to UKAS. Therefore service that requires a sweat testing collection pathology reports may contain a combination of failure rate of less than 5% . This service will accredited and unaccredited tests. now be provided by the James Cook University Hospital. Please be assured that it is normal practice for laboratories to be accredited for a number of tests; The process for CDDFT requests will be: however there could be a number of tests that are Drop a 1-2 line letter to Dr Jayaraj or his unaccredited. This does not necessarily indicate that colleague respiratory paediatrician Dr Arshid these tests are of inferior quality, the tests have the Murad with request for sweat test. They will same level of internal and external quality assurance book the test and write back to referring associated with them, and they are just yet to be paediatrician with the results. officially accredited by UKAS. Users of the CDDFT pathology service may wish to be For those children who live near Newcastle certain that all tests they are sending for analysis are there is a plan to have a similar arrangement accredited by UKAS. This information can be obtained with the RVI in Newcastle. using the link above to the UKAS website. After viewing the UKAS Schedule of Accreditation, if you would like to discuss the accreditation status of any of our tests please contact the Pathology Quality Manager initially to 2 discuss, and if further assurance or information is During this period, certain tests will not be required (i.e. how we assure quality results for the test) included in the laboratory's UKAS scope of this information can be provided upon request from the accreditation (8770). This does not affect the departmental lead [email protected] quality or standards of the results produced; it is a temporary state while the department awaits re- assessment in May 2020. The accreditation will be reinstated once all UKAS Microbiology in July 2019 voluntarily suspended requirements have been demonstrated following part of the scope of accredited tests while work is introduction of the new analysers. carried out to rebuild the containment level 3 laboratory at UHND. During this time work will be The following tests are now off scope for Blood process at the Darlington Pathology site. Transfusion: During this period, certain tests will not be Group and Screens included in the laboratory's UKAS scope of accreditation (9341). This does not affect the For further information please contact the quality or standards of the results produced; it is a Pathology Quality Manager temporary state while the department awaits re- [email protected] assessment at the end of summer. Resignation of Immunology Service The accreditation will be reinstated once all UKAS with UKAS requirements have been demonstrated after the rebuild has been completed. The following tests Pathology services at County Durham and are now off scope for Microbiology: Darlington NHSFT have recently undertaken an exercise to merge our immunology department into our biochemistry department, to implement Sputum, Broncho-alveolar lavages, service improvements. This has resulted in a Pleural fluids and any other respiratory change to our UKAS accreditation for secretions for C&S. immunology. RSV testing by lateral flow Immunoassay Our immunology service was registered as a stand-alone service under the UKAS identification 8811. This is now a resigned number, and the tests within that schedule are now undertaken under identification number 8866, our biochemistry schedule. This has no impact on our service provision to The Transfusion Department in October 2019 has you and your patients, but under UKAS voluntarily suspended part of the scope of regulations we are required to make service accredited tests whilst awaiting an Extension to users aware of such changes. If you have any Scope visit from UKAS. This is expected to take questions regarding this change please do not place in May 2020. This is following the hesitate to our quality manager introduction of the new Bio-Rad IH-1000 [email protected] analysers, Blood Transfusion. 3 Laboratory Tours The laboratories Members of at both UHND the tour were and DMH during taken around October took all the part in department of laboratory tours Pathology to with Trust understand members and what is Members of the Public as part of behind the scenes involved within tours being carried out throughout CDDFT. each area. They even got a chance to see first-hand the technical skills we apply on a daily basis. I’m sure you will be pleased to hear that the tours were a huge success, people really had no idea how much good stuff goes on at CDDFT and quite how much of this is ‘behind the scenes’. The tours have been used to raise awareness of the work being carried out by our departments behind the scenes, we received some great responses of feedback from the tours to express the amazement at the scale, expertise, speed and effectiveness they witnessed and heard about. !! It was really interesting to see how everything works on the other side! I have blood tests very We would like to take this opportunity to extend this regularly following my thyroidectomy and it was option to allow users the option of visiting the really amazing to see what happens after my bloods laboratory and talk to our pathology teams. If you would taken! When I walked into the lab my eyes lit up! be interested in arranging this please contact our Given the opportunity, I would be like a child in a Pathology Quality manager [email protected] sweetshop!!! 4 “Pathology: Disease detectives” at Blood Science Turnaround time data Celebrate Science 2019 held at Durham University SEPTEMBER DATA GP Darlington University Hospital (<24hrs) Memorial of North Durham Hospital U&E 100 100 (%) TPNI 100 100 (%) CBC 100 100 COAG 100 100 Inpatient Darlington University Hospital Big and small organs and organelles were the themes of (<4hrs) Memorial of North Durham this year’s activities on the Pathology stand at the 10th Hospital annual Durham University’s 3 day Celebrate Science Fair.