We aim to improve patient care through monitoring the quality of tests and their reporting, in an independent manner and on a not-for-profit basis.
We are here to help ensure optimal quality in testing for the benefit of patients.
We believe that the result of tests should be:

• Comparable
• Safe
• Clinically useful to the patient no matter where or when they are performed.

UK NEQAS is a charitable consortium of external quality assessment laboratories, mostly evolved from NHS services England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
We have over 50 years experience in EQA and its clinical relevance across all the disciplines (Immunology and Allergy, Cellular Pathology, Clinical Biochemistry, Haematology, Transfusion and Transplantation, Genetics, Virology and Microbiology).

Charity Number: 1044013

We report to relevant oversight bodies in the UK to support better governance and patient safety.

We also provide innovative schemes to ensure that the use of EQA data is continually improved. We provide information and leadership to harmonise the quality of diagnostic and/or clinical services across networks and international borders.

We offer support and training to our participant laboratories and their clinical and laboratory staff to embed and inform best practice, pre-analytical and post-analytical error monitoring and critical thinking about internal and external quality assurance through:

• Masterclasses
• Educational Events
• Electronic Learning
• Interpretative Schemes
• One-To-One Support And Advice.

Since inception, UK NEQAS units have provided their services to laboratories in a world-wide basis, ensuring that users of similar assays can access comparative data on the best performance achievable globally.
We also work closely with manufacturers and regulatory agencies to alert them to issues and assist in early resolution of problems with assays, analysers and kits.

UK NEQAS services and EQA shipments outside of the United Kingdom

UK NEQAS is a consortium of not-for-profit external quality assessment/proficiency testing (EQA/PT) providers, covering the entire range of clinical laboratory tests required to support modern healthcare.

As part of the provision of EQA/PT services it is necessary to transport samples from our UK specialist scientific centres to participating laboratories worldwide. All samples are shipped in accordance with relevant regulations for transport of clinical material (IATA) and are an essential part of the EQA/PT services we provide.

Whilst the samples transported are part of our services, they are not commercial goods as they have no value for resale or use outside of the EQA/PT services we provide. Therefore, UK NEQAS samples have no commercial value, although commercial invoices and associated shipping documentation will show a nominal value for the purposes of customs importation.

Participating laboratories are required to test the samples and return the results to UK NEQAS providers, where the results are analysed to ensure they are within consensus with other laboratories. Once analysis is complete educational lessons regarding different techniques and methods are shared with laboratories to improve patient care.

This expert analysis, performed by internationally known and respected scientists is the key part of the service we offer.

EU VAT Status:

UK NEQAS providers supply services for clinical diagnostic services worldwide. The samples issued as part of these services are exempt from VAT as per Council Directive 2006/112/EC of 28 November 2006 (last updated 12/12/2020), Chapter 2, Article 132:

1. Member States shall exempt the following transactions:

(b) hospital and medical care and closely related activities undertaken by bodies governed by public law or, under social conditions comparable with those applicable to bodies governed by public law, by hospitals, centres for medical treatment or diagnosis and other duly recognised establishments of a similar nature;

All our schemes are designed and run by organisers and managers who are wholly committed to leadership in better healthcare worldwide, are experts in current clinical practice in laboratory and clinical diagnostics.
Organisers are appointed by the Board for their expertise and commitment to public service ethos enshrined in our articles and rules.
All UK NEQAS units are committed to achieving accreditation to ISO 17043 Standards as a minimum.

Our independence is assured through our Board of Trustees, governance mechanisms, codes of practice and independent advice through our steering committees of medical and scientific experts.