NGRL Manchester is assisting laboratories with the implementation of new quality management systems necessary to meet the requirement for CPA accreditation and adherence to new, more stringent accreditation standards.

NGRL Manchester will continue to provide training workshops to support and assist the network of UK labs to maintain accreditation standards. Consultation is available in the form of providing advice and assistance on request to stakeholder laboratories.

TRAINING FOR AUDITORS

We run an annual training workshop for laboratory staff involved in internal audit. The workshop is 1.5 days long to give participants sufficient time to practice all the different aspects of auditing. The course in 2010 will be delivered by Dr Ian Sharp of the Health Protection Agency on 14th-15th January at St Mary's Hospital, Manchester.

Attendance is free, but excludes travel and accommodation costs. If you are interested in sending 1 or 2 representatives from your laboratory to the workshop, please complete the online registration form by Thursday 31st December 2009.
 

External Quality Assessment

NGRL Manchester is hosting the European Molecular Genetics Quality Network (EMQN) Administrative Office. Established in October 1998, the network was initially supported by a grant from the European Commission, but from April 2002, the network is being sustained by subscriptions from it users. EMQN is offering over 17 External Quality Assessment (EQA) schemes for a range of molecular genetics tests for member laboratories and industry partners. In conjunction with EuroGentest, EMQN is actively promoting best practice meetings on individual diseases. Following the meeting, draft best practice guidelines are produced and made publicly available. Our latest involvement focuses on developing guidelines for the interpretation and reporting of Unclassified Variants, a joint effort of the Clinical Molecular Genetics Society (CMGS) and the Dutch Society for Clinical Genetics (VKGL).
 

New external quality assessment schemes were piloted for mutation scanning during 2007/2008 and EQA provision for array CGH is planned with UKNEQAS, EMQN and CEQA. We are currently investigating provision of a round of external quality assessment for analysis of acquired mutations in c-kit from gastro-intestinal stromal tumours (GIST) in collaboration with Birmingham Women's Hospital.