Barbara Wild and colleagues from UK NEQAS Haematology examine the responses to a recent abnormal haemoglobin distribution, and also discuss findings from the Liquid Newborn Specimens Scheme.
The external quality assessment (EQA) schemes provided by UK National External Quality Assessment Scheme Haematology are members of the UK National External Quality Assessment Service (UK NEQAS), a registered charity offering EQA services across all pathology disciplines. The primary aim of UK NEQAS is to maintain and improve performance of diagnostic testing at a high level of proficiency, wherever testing is performed. Participation in EQA is an established part of Quality Assurance and is actively encouraged by professional bodies. Here, members of UK NEQAS Haematology, Watford, UK, reflect on two elements of the service provided to participants.
Unravelling a mixture of two haemoglobin variants
The UK National External Quality Assessment Scheme (UK NEQAS) Haematology provides the Abnormal Haemoglobins (AH) scheme in which participants analyse blood specimens from adult persons to determine whether the ‘patient’ is a carrier for a haemoglobin variant, the thalassaemias (eg β-thalassaemia, δ-β-thalassaemia) or hereditary persistence of fetal haemoglobin. This particular UK NEQAS Haematology scheme is appropriate for participants who undertake antenatal haemoglobinopathy screening within their laboratories.
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