Implementing compliance management systems for laboratory accreditation

Government initiatives to modernise pathology services have required laboratories to adopt a compliance management approach that will help to ensure that patients obtain the services they need and in the place that they need them. In response, laboratories have implemented compliance management solutions with a view to decreasing inappropriate variation in service delivery and increasing opportunities for continual improvement.

In addition, pathology-specific quality assurance standards, such as ISO 9001, ISO 17025 and ISO 15189, require laboratories to implement and maintain laboratory accreditation systems. Within the UK, Clinical Pathology Accreditation (UK) Ltd (CPA) is nationally recognised as providing a set of minimum quality standards for pathology laboratories.