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Terms and Conditions

Conditions for Participation

By registering with UK NEQAS for H&I (herein referred to as the Scheme), hosted by Velindre University NHS Trust (the legal entity) you agree to abide by the conditions for participation listed below and all other expectations as stated in the current Participant Manual.

 

  1. Data provided to UK NEQAS for H&I by participants will be used solely for dealing with your UK NEQAS participation. A Privacy Policy is available from our website. Your data will be stored in accordance with this policy.
  2. Membership of the Scheme starts on 1st April each year and continues until 31st March in the next year. If a participant joins part way through the annual period, a reduced fee may be payable reflecting the proportion of the annual service to be supplied for that part year. Participants will be charged for all Schemes they receive samples for, regardless of whether they submitted results.
  3. In the event of a participant failing to pay subscription fees by the due date the Scheme reserves the right to suspend, without notice, the membership of that participant without prejudice to any claim for payment for services already provided.
  4. Samples distributed as part of the Scheme should be treated, handled and disposed of as if they were clinical specimens. Participants must ensure that their laboratory facilities and expertise are adequate to ensure the safe handling of these specimens during their participation in the Scheme.
  5. UK NEQAS H&I may amend the design of Schemes during the year. Participants will be informed of changes to scheme design or operation by email. This would also be reflected in the Participant Manual.
  6. The Scheme will despatch the exercise material on the date published in the annual schedule, unless unforeseen circumstances require a change to the date; in this case, participants will be notified by email and/or by a message posted on the website.
  7. Participants must inform UK NEQAS for H&I:
    1. If the expected samples do not arrive
    2. Reason(s) for failure to test EQA samples
  8. Participants must complete annual registration information on the Participant’s Portal, provide a purchase order number and ensure any changes to staff or contact information are updated. It is the participant’s responsibility to maintain accurate contact detail on the UK NEQAS H&I Portal. Enrolment in the scheme is not evidence that a laboratory is correctly performing relevant recognised national or international standards.
  9. A participant may withdraw from the Scheme at any time, but no refund will be given of fees paid. Cancellation of participation must be made in writing to the scheme office or via the Participant’s Portal.
  10. Collusion between laboratories or falsification of results is not permitted. If a laboratory was suspected of collusion, UK NEQAS for H&I would review the laboratory’s participation in its schemes and potentially suspend participation. Laboratories based in the UK will be processed through UK EQA Governance Framework via the Quality Assurance in Pathology Committee.
  11. All reports, and the data they contain, issued by the Scheme are Copyright and may not be distributed, published or used for promotion in any form without permission of the Scheme Director.
  12. Information provided to UK NEQAS for H&I are confidential. However, anonymised results, method information and outcomes of sample assessment (Acceptable/Unacceptable classification) are available for all participants of a scheme to view in the Participant Portal. See the ‘Confidentiality’ section of the Participant Manual for full details. Performance is confidential to the participant and will not be released by the Scheme Organiser to third parties other than under any agreed and defined mechanism for providing counselling to ‘poor performers’. However, in instances relating to persistent poor performance or lack of participation where patient care may be compromised the Scheme Organiser is free to pass relevant information to third parties.
  13. UK laboratories who provide a clinical service agree to abide by the Quality Assurance in Pathology Committee (QAPC, formerly the Joint Working Group on Quality Assessment) Conditions of EQA Scheme Participation.
  14. Participants in the Scheme have entire responsibility for all samples distributed to them under the Scheme and all activities carried out by them or any third party in relation to the samples from the time of their receipt. UK NEQAS does not take any responsibility for delays or losses due to the postal service.
  15. The legal entity and the Scheme warrant that all work carried out by it in relation to the Scheme will be carried out using all reasonable care and skill. All conditions, terms and warranties implied by common law, statute or otherwise are, to the extent permitted by law, hereby excluded.
  16. The legal entity and the Scheme shall not be liable in any circumstances for indirect or consequential loss howsoever caused, including, without limitation, loss of anticipated profits, goodwill, reputation, business receipts or contracts, or losses or expenses resulting from third party claims.
  17. The liability of the Scheme and legal entity to the participant in any annual period resulting from or in connection with the provision of the Scheme to the participant shall under no circumstances exceed the amount of the annual fee paid by the participant in respect of that annual period.
  18. These conditions shall be governed by and construed in accordance with UK law, and UK NEQAS for H&I and the participant submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of the UK Courts.

Please also be aware of our requirements when making payments to us, namely paying in GBP (free of bank charges). For further information, please see https://ukneqashandi.org.uk/scheme-fees/

View Our Participant's Manual!