Pathology Service Provider Obligations Under NSQHS Standard 7 – Blood and Blood Products

Blood Management Standard 7 covers actions related to the management of blood and blood products (Actions 7.9 and 7.10). While pathology service providers external to a health service organisation are not subject to accreditation under the National Safety and Quality Health Service (NSQHS) Standards. There is an expectation that where blood management is outsourced, the health service organisation will monitor the performance of the pathology service provider to ensure the expectations under Standard 7 are met. This can be achieved through:

  • a procedure in place to confirm and monitor activities of the third party, and receive reports from the third party that would satisfy the requirements under this standard, and
  • a contract with the pathology service provider that will include requirements to both address the strategies identified, and to provide the health service organisation with sufficient information to confirm they  are implemented.

There have been a number of queries from health service providers about how to approach these actions. The NBA has developed a tool in the form of a letter that health service organisations can adapt to suit their needs. The letter is from the health service organisation to their external pathology service provider and identifies the reporting requirements that would demonstrate whether they meet the safety and quality expectations. This letter can be downloaded below:

In addition to this, it should be noted that there are other initiatives that the NBA is working on (e.g. Ig Governance or Inventory Management). Updates on such projects can be found on other sections of this website.