Pathology Programme News 27 th March 2009 National Pathology Programme Board The Pathology Modernisation Project will formally conclude on 31 st March The project team would like to thank to all those in the service who have contributed to the work of the project. We are sure you will agree that considerable progress has been made and the profile of Pathology has been raised significantly. The Minister for Health has approved continuation of the Diagnostic Services Programme enabling arrangements to be put in place to allow the transformation from the current Pathology Modernisation Project to a National Pathology Forum / Body whose role and responsibilities will be integral to the new national planning arrangements for Wales. Whilst detailed work to clarify future national planning processes takes place, a National Pathology Programme Board will be established to ensure that momentum and continuity are maintained. The National Pathology Programme Board will be chaired by Bob Hudson, Director of Strategic Direction and Planning in WAG, and will take a lead role in the ongoing planning and delivery of Pathology services in Wales. The Board will also be responsible for establishing appropriate structures which will continue to support the delivery of an integrated approach to the planning and delivery of Pathology services. The National Pathology Programme Board will meet for the first time on Thursday 18 th May. National Pathology Programme Workstreams will include: Workforce delivered in partnership with NLIAH taking forward: All Wales Pathology workforce plan CQFW training units Leading and Delivering Change in Pathology Quality delivered through Laboratory, Quality, Blood Transfusion Managers, POCT Coordinators taking forward: Key Performance Indicators POCT governance policy, quality manual Achieving accreditation Quality guides IM&T delivered in partnership with IHC taking forward: Procurement of the replacement LIMS Detailed work on integration, standardisation Service readiness to implement the LIMS Benefits realisation, change management Workstreams to address other recommendations contained in The Future Delivery of Pathology Services in Wales: Funding / Finance Equipment Information Molecular Pathology Horizon scanning / R&D If you would like any further information on the National Pathology Programme Board or the programme workstreams, please contact Margie Fielden by telephone on or by ing

Pathology Programme News No. 106 th April 2010 National Pathology Programme Board The National Pathology Programme Board (NPPB), which includes Clinical Directors of Pathology and Directorate Managers from all Health Boards and national services, will meet next on 15 th April The Board’s work programme for 2010 / 2011 reflects the following priorities: Quality, including the design of services to meet appropriate accreditation and regulatory requirements such as CPA, Blood Bank MHRA and HTA Workforce, including an All Wales approach to the design of an appropriate workforce to underpin future service planning and delivery Information standards that will support reporting Pathology KPIs and benchmarking Development of appropriate standardisation to reduce variation and support configuration and implementation of the new LIMS Accreditation Requirements Laboratory, Quality, POCT, Blood Bank Managers and HTA Designated Individuals continue to collaboratively develop resources and share good practice relating to CPA accreditation and compliance with MHRA and HTA regulatory requirements. Resources currently under development by the HTA group include All Wales consent forms and accompanying guides for Post Mortem examinations. Resources currently under development by the Pathology Quality Management Forum include Identification and Control of Non-Conformities guidance and guidance for the Content of a Service Level Agreement between a Pathology Department and a User / Customer. Printing of the All Wales Blood Transfusion Request form is currently out to tender. Completed resources are posted on the Pathology Community website on Please contact Margie Fielden, Pathology Programme Manager, on or by ing if you any queries or issues accessing the website. User Satisfaction Survey Colleagues in A&E departments throughout Wales have completed an on-line survey of user satisfaction. A draft interim report at All Wales level is currently available – Health Board and site level reports will be available shortly. The purpose of this first exercise in carrying out an online survey on a variety of sites in a variety of Health Boards was to try out the idea and assess whether the concepts of All Wales surveys and user satisfaction indices have potential for the future. From the interim report, that certainly appears to be the case. Even though this initial sample of users is a small one, it is clear from the report that such surveys can be a tremendously useful vehicle to stimulate valuable engagement with users and support future service planning. The survey also provides a really good insight into what requesters consider to be the important aspects of Pathology services and those areas where there is clearly potential for educating users. There is no doubt that this first All Wales user survey is a very important step toward measuring user satisfaction in a manner that enables it to truly be a robust indicator of quality of which the service can feel genuine ownership. IM&T The LIMS Full Business Case has been submitted to WAG for final approval. A number of workshops are currently being held as part of the work by Pathology disciplines to develop the standardisation detail required to inform configuration of the new LIMS. Please contact Margie Fielden if you have any queries about who to contact if you are not already engaged in your discipline’s activity. Portfolios of standardisation are being quality assured by the discipline SSAGs and issued through the NPPB. This will enable services to begin to take advantage of the opportunities these All Wales standards provide for future service planning and delivery across Health Boards and national services. For further information on the National Pathology Programme, please go to howis.wales.nhs.uk/pmuwhowis.wales.nhs.uk/pmuw