The pathology accreditation standards used in Australia protect the public from harm and ensure consistency in pathology practice.
The following Tier 3 standards have been added to the pathology governance standards review to ensure the approach, actions and supporting resources are aligned.
Requirements for supervision in the clinical governance of medical pathology laboratories (Sixth Edition 2021)
Guidelines for Approved Pathology Collection Centres (Requirements for Medical Pathology Specimen Collection) (Third Edition 2013)
The Commission and NPAAC are seeking feedback on the current edition of each of these standards as part of this initial feedback process.
You are invited to complete one or both of the surveys below. The surveys will be open until 30 June 2023.
The Commission invited stakeholders to complete surveys on the existing editions of the Tier 2 and Tier 3 standards undergoing revision in 2023. These surveys are now closed.
To remain up to date with public consultations on these standards, please subscribe to pathology communications.
The National Pathology Accreditation Advisory Council (NPAAC) is responsible for developing and maintaining the accreditation standards for Australian pathology laboratories. The standards are categorised into four main tiers as follows:
The Commission, in partnership with the NPAAC, is undertaking a review of the national pathology accreditation standards. The proposed review schedule is below. This is up to 2024 only and may not include all current national pathology accreditation standards. The schedule below is grouped by year and may not be in the exact order of review.
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National pathology accreditation standards are issued as accreditation material to provide guidance to laboratories and accrediting agencies about minimum standards considered acceptable for good laboratory practice.
For enquiries about the NPA Scheme or the resources, email pathology@safetyandquality.gov.au.
The National Pathology Accreditation (NPA) Scheme provides for the Australia-wide coordination of accreditation processes for pathology laboratories in Australia.
Resources that support clinicians, service providers and accrediting agencies by providing guidance on the requirements for pathology laboratories to be accredited
The National Pathology Accreditation Advisory Council (NPAAC) is responsible for developing and maintaining the accreditation standards for pathology laboratories in Australia.
The Advice Centre provides support for pathology services, assessors and accrediting agencies on pathology accreditation standards implementation.
