U.K. NEQAS for Blood Coagulation
Main Scheme; Level 1 & Level 2

INTRODUCTION

By providing external quality assessment for blood coagulation tests, as a part of overall quality assurance, the programme aims to promote high standards of performance and practice, achieved with the UK NEQAS primary aim of education, by provision of independent, objective and impartial information.

WHO CAN TAKE PART?

Although primarily intended to meet the needs of clinical laboratories, participation by industrial and other laboratories is welcomed.  Most participating laboratories are sited within the UK, but registration is open to laboratories in Europe and further afield, whether government supported, private or commercial. UK NEQAS for Blood Coagulation is run on a not for profit basis, under the auspices of UK National External Quality Assessment Service and professional bodies.

REGISTRATION

Please click here to download a registration form for the programme

The nominated participant, normally the person with overall responsibility for the laboratory, registers for all tests included in UK NEQAS for Blood Coagulation, which their laboratory offers as a service.  As part of registration, participants are requested to formally agree to adhere to the Joint Working Group’s Conditions of Participation in UK EQA Schemes.  With the few exceptions indicated in these Conditions, the Director is obliged to observe strict confidentiality regarding individual performance.

HOW DOES IT WORK?

The tests are divided into Level 1 (screening tests) and Level 2 (assays), comprising:  

Six exercises are distributed each financial year. Surveys distributed in March and July currently include samples for PT/INR and APTT tests only. The remaining four surveys include, on average, four tests from Level 1 (screening tests) and at least two samples for factor assays in Level 2, one of which will be for factor VIII:C assay. At least three of the four Level 2 surveys will also include samples for thrombophilia screening (Protein C, Protein S, Antithrombin, Activated Protein C resistance). Details of tests to be included in each survey are indicated in individual reports three months prior to survey distribution. All samples are of lyophilised plasma, from donors screened for hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) and for antibodies to hepatitis C virus and human immunodeficiency virus types 1 and 2 (anti HIV-1+2). In the majority of cases, samples are from single donations. In addition to six main scheme distributions, relevant supplementary exercises are distributed on an ad-hoc basis to address current issues in haemostasis.

ANALYSIS OF RESULTS

Individual reports for each survey are sent two weeks after the closing date for the respective survey to the first, and (if registered), second named participants.  For the two surveys per annum comprising samples for PT/INR and APTT only, reports are sent one week after the closing date. Additionally, some weeks after the individual results, an overall exercise report is made available to registered participants for electronic download from this website, with printed copies subsequently distributed to participants having indicated this preference.  This report includes comprehensive analysis of test results by methodology, together with graphically presented data analysis for each test specimen.

PERFORMANCE ANALYSIS

Performance is determined by comparison of individual laboratory results with the target value for each test. Full details of how this is determined may be found in the ‘Performance’ menu of this website.