What is Expected of a CQAS Participant
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 sheets.
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 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.