**2008 EQA schemes and Sample Swap EQA schemes**
See NEWS page for information on all 2008 schemes including important dates.

**NEW PILOT SCHEMES 2008 - GIST Molecular Testing EQA and Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis Molecular EQA**
See NEWS page for further information.

**Change in Procedure for dealing with Persisent Poor Performance**
See below for further information.


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UKNEQAS gives objective information and advice to clinical laboratories throughout laboratory medicine on the quality of their analytical and interpretative performance, in order to help them provide accurate and reliable test results and advice to clinicians, which facilitates optimal patient care. Advances in our understanding of genetic diseases has led to a revolution in testing technologies. UKNEQAS is committed to providing external quality assessment in this rapidly evolving field.

The UKNEQAS for Molecular Genetics provides external quality assessment for a range of inherited diseases currently tested in diagnostic molecular genetic laboratories in the United Kingdom, Ireland and the Netherlands. For more information on the UKNEQAS for Molecular Genetics see Introduction.


***POOR PERFORMANCE CRITERIA***

The poor performance criteria for the full external quality assessment schemes offered by the UKNEQAS for Molecular Genetics has been amended. Following recommendation from the Joint Working Group on Quality Assurance, NQAAP have decided that the identity of persistent poor performing laboratories will now be disclosed to NQAAP.  This information will not be made available to any parties other than the NQAAP panel.  Please note that this amendment is only in relation to persistent poor performers and NOT poor performers.  If you wish further information then please contact the Scheme Organiser.

The introduction of the Cystic fibrosis testing on blood spots EQA scheme during 2007 required poor performance and perisistent poor performance criteria to be determined.  This has been agreed by the Steering Committee and was ratified by NQAAP in March, 2007.  As with the other disease EQA schemes, the Cystic fibrosis testing on blood spots EQA critiera has also been amended by NQAAP following recommendation from the Joint Working Group on Quality Assurance. NQAAP have decided that the identity of persistent poor performing laboratories will now be disclosed to NQAAP.  This information will not be made available to any parties other than the NQAAP panel.  Please note that this amendment is only in relation to persistent poor performers and NOT poor performers.  Full details are available from the Scheme Organiser (info@ukneqas-molgen.org.uk) .

In summary, poor performance for the Cystic fibrosis testing on blood spots EQA scheme will be defined as “Scoring less than 1.7 on genotyping, ie. a single genotyping error”.

Persistent Poor Performers in this scheme will be defined as either “those participants who perform poorly for a disease in two out of any three consecutive EQA rounds or those participants who perform poorly for a disease in any two consecutive rounds of EQA”.


Poor performance and persistent poor performance criteria for the Molecular Rapid Aneuploidy Testing (MRA) EQA scheme have been agreed by both the UKNEQAS for Molecular Genetics Steering Committee and the UKNEQAS for Clinical Cytogenetics Steering Committee.  These criteria have been ratified by NQAAP in March, 2007. Again, these criteria have been amended. NQAAP have ruled that the identity of persistent poor performers will be disclosed to the NQAAP panel. Full details are available from the Scheme Organiser (info@ukneqas-molgen.org.uk) .

In summary, poor performance for the MRA EQA will be defined as “Scoring less than 1.7 on genotyping, ie. a single genotyping error or Scoring less than 0.7 times the mean score for a disease on interpretation".

Persistent Poor Performers in this scheme will be defined as either “those participants who perform poorly for a disease in two out of any three consecutive EQA rounds or those participants who perform poorly for a disease in any two consecutive rounds of EQA”.




Last Updated: 18th June 2008 by Sandi Deans

Update log: 23/08/2008 SD -28/01/2008 SD - 19/10/2007 SD -26/06/2007 SD - 10/04/2007 SD - 29/01/2007 SD - 15/08/2006 SD