ABOUT US AND SERVICES
OUR MISSION STATEMENT
Our Mission
Improving global diagnostic testing through expert led quality assessment and education - delivering reliable, specialist, and supportive services that ensure confidence in every result, every time. We achieve this by:
- Setting and exceeding the highest standards of quality
- Providing practical, specialist expertise grounded in real world experience
- Putting people first in every interaction
- Working collaboratively to drive continual improvement
- Delivering tailored support without limits
Our Vision
To be the globally trusted leader in External Quality Assessment and education - recognised for delivering exceptional uncompromising quality through specialist knowledge, expertise, and human partnership, and a united, supportive, progressive team - advancing diagnostic excellence without boundaries. We aspire to be:
- The service participant’s champion
- The specialist organisations choose for laboratory progression
- The partner commercial companies trust
- The organisation employees are proud to represent
- The long-term
collaborator stakeholders’ value
OUR SERVICES
We ensure that all our customers receive high quality, appropriate, clinically relevant, and challenging samples that fully meet their facility’s requirements and that our assessment of those samples is consistent, carried out by highly qualified Cellular Pathology experts, are graded, anonymously compared, and peer reviewed
Whilst UK NEQAS Cellular Pathology Technique strives to mark participants submissions accurately and with a high level of accuracy, if a participant is not satisfied with any scores that they receive they may submit an appeal.
Our Evaluation Service is available to registered participants of a UK NEQAS CPT EQA / Proficiency Testing Scheme.
UK NEQAS CPT monitors each EQA assessment run, and monitors the performance of all participants. Any participants who fall into performance monitoring are offered advice and assistance.
BENEFITS OF PARTICIPATION
Our team of specialised experts in Biomedical Science, Histotechnology, Cytotechnology, and Healthcare Science is dedicated to supporting you and your team in applying best practices, ensuring proficiency, and driving quality improvement. We provide direct access to troubleshooting expertise, helping participants address issues proactively and enhance the quality of care provided to patients. Through the sharing of best practices, we work to improve procedures and standards within participating organisations. By analysing data and monitoring trends, we offer guidance and support to participants in auditing and continuously improving their performance and services.
UK NEQAS CPT provides end-to-end quality assurance. With an intuitive website and easy online access to data input and reports, organisations can instantly view information, results, and reports.
Individualised Reports feature graphical data displays, enabling easy evaluation of individual performance, along with detailed feedback that includes specific criteria and constructive assessment comments.
The “End of year” Annual Performance Reports offer a comprehensive summary of performance, including a comparative analysis of quality, performance, and compliance against international peers and standards
UNIQUE WORLD LEADER
UK NEQAS CPT offers secure, well-established proficiency testing and external quality assessment (EQA) schemes. With over 1500 participants worldwide, both clinical and non-clinical laboratories trust our services for their accuracy and reliability. Our schemes deliver high-quality, clinically relevant, and challenging samples tailored to meet each organisation’s specific requirements. These samples are assessed by qualified Cellular Pathology experts, who ensure consistent grading, anonymous comparisons, and peer reviews to maintain the highest standards of assessment and evaluation – assuring continuous quality monitoring.
Our network of participating laboratories spans over 50 countries, collectively submitting more than 30,000 patient samples each year in both physical and digital formats. These samples are graded by our experts, ensuring best practices and gold-standard results for both laboratories and patient care. This continuous interaction, through mailings, phone communication, and particularly via our website, enables us to efficiently disseminate messages, share best practices, and provide networking within the scientific community.
UK NEQAS CPT offers accessible educational activities for immediate learning. We are dedicated to nurturing a culture of quality through ongoing education, training, and communication. Our resources support quality standards, introducing the community to best practices, successful protocols, and proven methods for improvement.
PATIENT SAFETY AND RESULTS INTERPRETATION
The quality of submitted preparations is directly linked to diagnostic accuracy and patient safety. While a score of 4 or below is a fail and indicates concerns requiring immediate remediation, it is important to note that a score of 5 or 6 also represents suboptimal staining quality.
A score of 5/6, though technically a pass, indicates notable deficiencies in staining performance that may compromise interpretation, reproducibility, or diagnostic confidence. These scores highlight the need for improvement to reach the high standards expected in clinical practice and to mitigate potential risks to patient care.
Participants receiving a score of 5 or 6 are strongly advised to investigate and address the root causes of suboptimal performance. Proactive quality improvement at this level not only enhances staining quality but also supports accurate diagnosis and overall laboratory excellence.
Login to the Members' Area using your unique Lab Number to access exclusive benefits including;
- Online library of colour images showing optimal and sub-optimal staining
- Online library of best methods
- UK NEQAS CPT Newsletters
- Assessment Results
- Repertoire
