We would like to update our Participants on how the Birmingham Quality Schemes will continue to undertake Performance Surveillance for Laboratories and Post-Market Surveillance of methods following the pause in activity of the QAPC and NQAAPs from January 2026.

Participants and Manufacturers should not experience any change to the service that Birmingham Quality offers. We will continue to do what is in the best interest of Patient Safety and will support our Participants with method-related problems. We continue to rely on the professionalism of Participants on how they address issues of out-of-consensus performance as part of their ISO15189:2022 obligations and will offer the same service whether an oversight mechanism is or isn't in place.

There is a link to the RCPath, IBMS and LabMed document here. Because this has wider impact across all branches of Laboratory Medicine there is also a reply on behalf of the whole UK NEQAS Consortium from the President of the UK NEQAS Charity:

Finlay MacKenzie
Consultant Clinical Scientist and Director, Birmingham Quality

Response to the pause in activity of the QAPC and NQAAPs

UK NEQAS regrets the pause in activity of the QAPC and NQAAP oversight of laboratory performance from January 1^st, 2026, as notified by the RCPath, IBMS and LabMed. UK NEQAS supports the need for an independent system of review of both laboratory and method-related performance within the UK.

UK NEQAS centres will continue to manage performance concerns internally after January 1^st 2026. In the case of persistent unsatisfactory or poor performance of either testing sites or methods, UK NEQAS Organisers will continue to work with the support of the Schemes' Steering Committees, other EQA providers, commercial companies and/or the MHRA, as required, to resolve the concern in the interest of patient safety. If you have any queries or comments, you should contact the relevant Scheme Organiser using your usual contact or using the contact details on the UK NEQAS website.

Barbara De la Salle
President, UK NEQAS

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