Accreditation of external quality assessment schemes in the United Kingdom.

There are some 130 pathology external quality assessment schemes available in the United Kingdom. Most are provided from within the National Health Service, but a few from the private sector. At the invitation of the Department of Health, Clinical Pathology Accreditation (UK) Ltd. has developed an accreditation system for these schemes. Accreditation is based on scheme organisers declaring compliance with 62 standards and an on-site inspection. As of the end of 2000, 105 schemes have been accredited. Most of the schemes in the disciplines of Clinical Biochemistry, Haematology, Immunology and Microbiology have now been accredited, but progress has been slower in non-numerical schemes in the disciplines of Cellular Pathology and Genetics.