Our Pilot EQA Schemes
Before fully implementing an EQA scheme, UK NEQAS H&I will typically run the scheme(s) for a pilot year free of charge (excl. carriage). This will allow us to assess the effectiveness of the new EQA scheme(s) and receive feedback from participants regarding anything they found useful or may want to change during the pilot year. UK NEQAS H&I can then make any necessary updates prior to it becoming an ‘official’ EQA scheme.
During the pilot year, participants are able to register for free and take part in a condensed version of what the official EQA scheme will be. This means there will be less samples shipped compared to the full EQA scheme. There will also be no ‘formal’ assessment provided – however a full summary will be given to each participant. Performance tables will also be available to view after each distribution, allowing participants to view their performance against others. UK NEQAS H&I are always open to feedback, so please do let us know any thoughts you may have if you do take part in a pilot scheme.
Below is a list of our current pilot EQA schemes and some relevant information about them. Please follow the links provided for more details. To view our full range of EQA and educational schemes, please click here.
If you would like to discuss anything in relation to our pilot EQA schemes, please click the contact button below.
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Current Pilot EQA Schemes:
NEW PILOT FOR 2025-26:
Scheme Purpose: To assess participants’ ability to correctly determine HNA polymorphisms.
| Material | Whole Blood | |
| Volume of Sample | 4-10 mL | |
| Distributions per Year | 2 | |
| No. Samples per Distribution | 2 | |
| Total Samples per Year | 4 | |
| Assessment Options | Participants can register for assessment for any combination of the following: genotyping at HNA-1,2,3,4 and/or 5.
Participants can report any other HNA polymorphisms they detect for information. |
|
| Consensus | 75% consensus or reference result if consensus not reached. | |
| Satisfactory Performance | Satisfactory performance is not reported for pilot schemes. | |
More Scheme 12 Information…
NEW PILOT FOR 2025-26:
Scheme Purpose: To assess participants’ ability to correctly detect the presence of and determine the specificity of HNA antibodies.
| Material | Sera | |
| Volume of Sample | 1.5 mL | |
| Distributions per Year | 2 | |
| No. Samples per Distribution | 2 | |
| Total Samples per Year | 4 | |
| Assessment Options | Participants can opt to register for assessment at any combination of HNA antibodies e.g. HNA-1,2,3,4 and/or 5, to align with their detection capabilities. | |
| Consensus | Consensus presence of a specificity is determined by at least 75% of laboratories agreeing the presence of the specificity. Consensus absence of a specificity is determined by at least 95% of laboratories agreeing the absence of the specificity. Specificities failing to reach the consensus levels will not be assessed. The percent consensus for each specificity is calculated independently from other reported specificities. | |
| Satisfactory Performance | Satisfactory performance is not reported for pilot schemes. | |
