Paediatric Laboratory Medicine

 About us

Welcome to the Alder Hey laboratories home page.  The laboratories aim to provide a high quality, up to date, reliable and comprehensive paediatric service, including a consultant advisory service for both children in the hospital and those cared for by General Practitioners. We also provide advice and support regarding paediatric pathology to other hospital laboratories in the region.

All laboratory departments are both CPA accredited and HPC approved for training. We are continually developing and improving the service for the investigation, and diagnosis of disease, and are committed to the improvement in quality of service through audit. The laboratories are fully computerised using the Trust wide Meditech System.

	The laboratory holds full accreditation with Clinical Pathology Accreditation
	The laboratory is accredited for the training of junior pathologists with The Royal College of Pathologists
	The laboratory is accredited with The Institute of Biomedical Science for the training of Biomedical Scientists
	The laboratory is registered with the Childhood Cancer and Leukaemia Group as a Regional Childhood Tumour Tissue Bank
	The laboratory is accredited with the Metabolic Biochemistry Network for the training of Higher Specialist Trainees in Metabolic Biochemistry
	The laboratory is accredited with the Association for Clinical Biochemistry for the training of Clinical Biochemists

Laboratory Medicine composed of four departments; Biochemistry, Haematology, Histopathology and Microbiology. 

The main services we provide include on site diagnostic and therapeutic investigations and mortuary services, as well as support of point of care diagnostic testing. We also provide regional newborn screening for Haemoglobinopathy, Phenylketonuria and Congenital Hypothyroidism. The Histopathology department provides a regional network for foetal and perinatal pathology.

The Biochemistry, Haematology and Microbiology departments are situated in the main hospital building and can be accessed from the main hospital corridor on the ground floor. Histopathology is situated in its own building behind the Estates Department on the Springfield Park side of the hospital site.

How to contact us

Clinical advice is available at all times. Contact details can be found by clicking on the links below:
 
Biochemistry
Haematology
Histopathology
Microbiology
Newborn Screening

Key contacts

Opening Hours

The laboratory provides a full service between 9am and 5pm, Monday to Friday. An emergency service for a limited range of tests is available at all times.

Health and Safety

Model Health and Safety rules are available for laboratory staff, visitors, cleaning staff, office staff, phlebotomists, service engineers and laboratory porters and messengers to ensure the Health and Safety of all personnel working within the laboratory or dealing with laboratory samples.

In the event of a sample-related Health and Safety issue occurring outside the hospital e.g. spillage of sample, please contact the relevant department immediately for further information. Non NHS staff must not attempt to remove or clear up sample spillages.

Phlebotomy services

Phlebotomy services for outpatients and GP patients are available in the department between 8.30am and 4.45pm, Monday to Friday. No appointment is necessary but a completed request form should be presented on arrival. Please ensure that details entered on the request form are legible. It is important that the information provided includes:
 
Full name of patient
Date of Birth
NHS number
Name and surgery of requesting GP
Tests required
Clinical details including any medication
Information regarding fasting state of child (for glucose and lipid profile requests)

Common tests

Reference Ranges

Age-related reference ranges are applied to the majority of tests. These are supplied with each reported result. The reference ranges are ones applied at Alder Hey and do not necessarily apply to other laboratories. Reference ranges are traditionally 95% limits i.e. 2.5% of normal individuals will have results above the upper limit and 2.5% will have results below the lower limit.

Requesting additional investigations

Additional tests may be added to samples already received by the laboratory, providing that:

• the sample type is correct for the required test
• the analyte requested is known to be stable under the storage conditions used
• the sample is still available
• the remaining sample volume is adequate for the additional test

Please contact laboratory staff to discuss such requests.

The Laboratory is committed to providing a comprehensive paediatric clinical laboratory and interpretive service of the highest quality and shall be aware of, and take into consideration the needs and requirements of its users. In order to ensure that the needs and requirements of users are met, the laboratory will:

• Operate a quality management system to ensure that the needs and requirements of users of the service are met.
• Set quality objectives and plans and achieve continual improvement of the service.
• Ensure that all personnel are familiar with the quality manual and all procedures relevant to their work.
• Commit to the health, safety and welfare of all its’ staff in accordance with relevant health and safety and environmental legislation.
• Ensure that visitors to the department are treated with respect and that due consideration is given to their safety while on site.
• Uphold professional values and remain committed to good professional practice and conduct.

The laboratory will comply with standards set by CPA (UK) Ltd and is committed to:

• Staff recruitment, training, development and retention at all levels to provide a full and effective service to its users.
• The proper procurement and maintenance of equipment and other resources that are needed for the provision of the service.
• The collection, transport and handling of all specimens in such a way as to ensure the correct performance of laboratory examinations.
• The use of examination procedures that will ensure the highest achievable quality of all tests performed.
• Reporting results of examinations in ways which are timely, confidential, accurate and clinically useful.
• The assessment of user satisfaction, in addition to internal audit and external quality assessment, in order to produce continual quality improvement.

Links

	Lab Tests Online is a non-commercial public resource on clinical laboratory testing provided by laboratory professionals.
	The Health professions Council is an independent, UK-wide health regulator that sets standards of professional training, performance and conduct for healthcare professionals. The Council keeps a register of health professionals that meet defined standards, and takes action if individuals do not meet the standards.>
	The Health Protection Agency is an independent body that protects the health and well-being of the population. The Agency plays a critical role in protecting people from infectious diseases and in preventing harm when hazards involving chemicals, poisons or radiation occur. It also prepares for new and emerging threats, such as a bio-terrorist attack or virulent new strain of disease.

Review date 1 October 2009