Participation in an External Quality Assessment (EQA) scheme can help provide assurance and confidence that patient test results are accurate and reliable, therefore ensuring that the right clinical advice can be safely offered. Increasingly, commissioners of services like NHS Health Checks require assurance of satisfactory performance in an EQA scheme. In the UK, independent evidence of performance through participation in an EQA scheme is a requirement of the National Quality Assurance Advisory panel.

Read more about the importance and benefits of EQA

The RIQAS POC scheme is geared to assuring the quality of Point Of Care Testing in locations like pharmacies, General Practitioner surgeries, diagnostic/treatment and walk-in centres, sports clinics, and hospital out patients. Typically, the scheme is commissioned by a prime contractor (the client) on behalf of a chain of participants. The POC scheme complements the RIQAS scheme for laboratory-based analysers operated by specialist laboratory scientists.

Please contact us to determine which scheme is most suitable for your needs.

As many as you wish. New operators can be added at any time, email addresses can be modified and the system is able to recognise operators who may be working at more than one location. In encouraging ownership responsibility for updates lies with the operators at each location.

In order to participate in the next sample, distribution changes must be made before the 20^th of each month. Participation contracts are renewable annually and new analysers can be added to the scheme at any time during the contract.

Samples are typically distributed on the first Monday of the month, results should be submitted online via the RIQAS Point of Care software before 5pm the following Monday.  Please see the Distribution Timetable for further information.

Samples should be kept refrigerated at between 2-8^oC.  Do not freeze.