What is expected of a CQAS participant?

Terms & Conditions

CQAS registration is for the 12 months between April 1st and March 31st. Any number of packages may be selected as appropriate to the individual participants’ requirements. The registration sum payable will be the total cost of all packages ordered.

Re-registration order forms are issued in February and payment should be made no later than 30th June. Reminders are issued in May to those centres from whom the Scheme has not received a new order. If there is no contact made by the laboratory with regard to continued registration, the dispatch of EQA material will cease at the end of June.

Laboratories wishing to register with the Scheme after April 1st, or those already registered who wish to take up participation in a new package, will be given a pro rata price to be paid at the start of participation.

Details for the participating centre must include a named member of staff, a contact telephone number plus, if possible, an email address.

Laboratories registering for any package must return results for at least 75% of trials during the 12 month period. (Non return is classed as a poor performance). Only those centres reporting at least 75% of results will be included in the December cumulative performance report.

Methodology questionnaires issued at the time of initial registration and, occasionally, to update records, should be completed and returned as soon as possible. CQAS should be notified of any changes in methodology or instrumentation as soon as possible and not on results return day.

Result return sheets should be legibly completed and always include the laboratory code. They should be signed by a member of staff that the Scheme can contact if there is a problem.

Results should be returned by the closing date or time of the trial. Results will not be accepted beyond the closing date or time.

Internet availability and use is a necessity for participating in routine trials; blood count, PT, APTT and Fibrinogen (QA1, QA2A & QA2B), as results must be entered via the CQAS website. In due course, there will be no paper reports issued by the Scheme for these trials as they will be available online.

Reports issued by CQAS remain the property of the Scheme and should not be reprinted or used in any published data without permission from the Scheme.

CQAS and the future

The Scheme is always looking to improve the service it provides and is keen to listen to views of participants, who have a clear perception of some of the things that they want from an EQA scheme. Previous developments have included:

  • Specific surveys for “dosing” of warfarin.
  • Issues of “fresh”, unfixed samples for FBC and white cell differential.
  • Work on low platelets and white cell counts
  • Evaluations of new plasma viscometers

CQAS is keen to develop collaborative partners and participant bases within the European Union. As part of this development we would be keen to discuss the potential for pilot participation in any (or all) of our packages with a view to looking at the logistics of transporting samples over a long distance and maintaining the integrity of the sample. It would also give laboratories an opportunity to see whether the scheme would work for them before making any firm commitment.