The IEQAS Annual Conference 2024 took place at the Ashling Hotel, Dublin 8 on Thursday 3rd October 2024, with over 150 delegates, invited speakers and sponsors. The day lived up to expectations and delivered a diverse and relevant programme, with lively discussion and positive response. The first plenary session was kindly sponsored by the ACSLM and chaired by Mr Dermot Mc Brierty, representing the ACSLM. Dermot introduced the first plenary speaker, Professor Martin Cormican, HSE lead for the HSE Outline Strategic Plan for Laboratory Service Reform, 2025-2034. Martin provided a comprehensive overview of the draft plan, now at an advanced stage (and including 15 detailed recommendations). These recommendations entail the HSE and HSE funded laboratory services to provide sustainable, quality, analytical and interpretive services, as foundation for improved healthcare. The plan is relevant for reference and clinical diagnostic laboratories, Public Analyst Laboratories (PALs) and Public Health Microbiology Laboratories (PHMLs) – the latter two grouped as Health Protection Laboratories, in the plan. Martin pointed out the key opportunities and challenges around services, scientific and technological developments, organisational change, recruitment and retention of skilled staff, service integration, infrastructure, maintaining quality systems and ensuring for public health emergencies. Key recommendations Martin particularly mentioned include implementation of the developed Postgraduate Training Programme for Medical Scientists, development of an integrated Clinical National Reference Laboratory Service (CNRLS) and development of a HSE Central Laboratory Campus management, proposed as a single national service, with development of Laboratory Networks within all the Health Regions. This would allow integration of quality systems, investment in automation of sample processing, new technologies such as digital pathology, electronic ordering, inter-laboratory electronic information transfer, secure patient own laboratory data, phlebotomy services, role expansion for laboratory aides along with career progression opportunities for scientists, including advanced and autonomous practice.
Delegates digested Martin’s presentation, over coffee and delicious oatmeal cookies (sponsored by Roche), with colleagues and fellow scientists. Everyone had the welcome chance to catch up with friends from other laboratories.

The next plenary session chaired by Dr Peadar Mc Ging, opened with Dr Ann Leonard, Research & Innovation Chief Medical Scientist and Ms Caroline Murray, Senior Medical Scientist in the Laboratory Medicine Innovation Hub, both at Tallaght University Hospital (TUH). Ann and Caroline introduced the audience to the ‘Get It Right First Time (GIRFT) Ireland’. Ann and Caroline outlined how, in 2021, the National Health Service (NHS) in England undertook a comprehensive review of their pathology services under the auspices of the GIRFT programme, which culminated in a comprehensive pathology report in May 2022. This included recommendations covering all phases of the Total Testing Process. In 2024 the Laboratory Medicine Innovation Hub (LMIH) at TUH, in conjunction with Peri-Analytic and Laboratory Medicine Society (PALMSoc), repeated the survey and created a GIRFT pilot project, covering Clinical Chemistry only, with six large teaching hospitals across the country participating. Trends seen were reviewed and compared to trends identified in the NHS report. It is planned to extend the project to additional Hospitals and all laboratory discipline services.


Next the IEQAS conference got to take ‘A Walk Down Granby Lane’ - an apt title for the insightful presentation given by Dr Alana Lawlor, GP with the Granby Clinic, Dublin, on challenges and demands of primary care for the homeless and the role of the hospital laboratory within this. With Austin O Carroll and Mark Murphy, Alana runs the Granby Clinic, where they provide free primary care, on a walk-in basis, five days a week. In 2023, the Granby Clinic saw an average of 100 patients a day. Alana is clinical lead of the Mobile Health Unit, which provides primary care to rough sleepers, in and around Dublin, three nights a week. She is the Assistant Scheme Director for the North Dublin City GP Training Scheme. The Granby Centre provides primary care to marginalised patients, particularly the homeless and those needing addiction services. Alana recognises that Laboratory services, especially NPT/POCT are crucial to the care of patients, but that this population presents additional challenges. Alana noted the issues with follow up such as those due to homelessness, addiction, literacy and language barriers, medical history and specific issues relating to clinical laboratory testing. She discussed sampling and result follow up along with future developments such as an infectious disease surveillance unit.
This final plenary session was certainly food for thought, for delegates, as they headed to lunch, (kindly sponsored by Eurofins Biomnis) and before finding their way to the suites for the afternoon specialised workshops in Clinical Chemistry, Haematology, Microbiology and Blood Transfusion.


The Clinical Chemistry workshop included a presentation and overview by Dr Lucille Kavanagh, Principal Clinical Biochemist in the Mater Misericordiae University Hospital (MMUH), of the Renal Stone analysis service. Lucille explained the overall increasing prevalence and decreasing age onset, highlighting the value of the analysis service, for diagnosis of treatable conditions such as cystinuria, uric acid stones and primary hyperparathyroidism.
Ms Lorraine Mc Govern, medical scientist in the Biochemistry department of Letterkenny University Hospital, spoke about her work on the evaluation/implementation of the new Roche Elecsys sFlt1/PIGF ratio in the diagnosis and management of pre-eclampsia (PE) in the hospital. Lorraine described how PE, a multi-organ disorder, causes significant morbidity and mortality to the mother and foetus in affected pregnancies. She went on to explain that the current guidelines recommend diagnostic methods which are non-specific and insensitive in diagnosing or predicting the onset of PE. Lorraine evaluated the effectiveness of using the ratio (based on the new diagnostic guidelines, DG49, published by NICE in the UK), to diagnosis and classify patients into low-risk to increased risk of developing PE. The study tested 57 suspected pre-eclampsia patients, results indicating use of the ratio as an additional diagnostic tool for PE at the hospital (a ratio >38 indicating a need for increased surveillance/early delivery, while also reducing unnecessary admission of low-risk patients).
The challenges and successes, of the Near Patient Testing Quality Improvement Project, was presented by Ms Noreen Montgomery, Chief Medical Scientist at the Clinical Biochemistry Department of Sligo University Hospital (SUH). Noreen’s presentation outlined the Quality Improvement plan that was undertaken, beginning in 2020, with multidisciplinary collaboration, that resulted in a "culture" change in the Emergency Department at the hospital. Noreen spoke of the >90% reduction in non-compliance rates by July 2024. She also emphasised the central role of the laboratory in the leadership and coordination of NPT activities, with patient safety at the forefront. Dr Peadar McGing, IEQAS Chair, not only gave the Chair address and chaired the second plenary session but then regaled the conference delegates with a memorable and personal presentation about ‘When the Biochemist becomes the Patient’. Retired and former Principal Clinical Biochemist at the Mater hospital, Peadar is also a Fellow of the Royal College of Pathologists and has Fellowship of the Association for Clinical Biochemistry & Laboratory Medicine. After nearly 40 years of carrying out analyses and reporting results he found himself on the other side of the bench. It was discovered that a problem with his vision turned out to be (with identification and removal of) a craniopharyngioma (benign brain tumour - thankfully), followed by 6 weeks of daily radiotherapy. Peadar discussed how biochemistry and other laboratory tests, including knowing his own prediagnosis baseline levels, contributed to diagnosis and monitoring of his condition. IEQAS endeavours to provide clearly presented reports to participants, for its Clinical Chemistry scheme. The final presentation at the Clinical Chemistry workshop was given by Ms Bernadette Jackson, Naas General Hospital, explaining the information available in these reports and reviewing a selection.


Beginning the Haematology Workshop session was the much anticipated and ever valuable ‘IEQAS Blood Cell Morphology Annual Review’ by Dr Catherine Flynn, Consultant Haematologist, St James’s Hospital. Dr Flynn’s research and clinical interests include malignant myeloid, transplantation, bone marrow failure syndromes and haematological diseases during pregnancy.  
 Mr Selvin Nakka, Medical Scientist in the Haematology Department, St James’s Hospital, has keen interest in blood cell morphology and reporting peripheral blood films, with added, extensive experience in the diagnosis of malaria. He is a tutor in both these areas for both TU Dublin undergraduate students and Medical Scientist colleagues at St James’s. Selvin’s interesting case was that of a 46-year-old man presenting with acute confusion and general malaise, where peripheral blood smear examination proved to be key to the accurate diagnosis and successful treatment of the man for lead poisoning, due to a history of prolonged Ayurvedic medicine use. Jack Molloy is a recent graduate of the TU Dublin Medical Science programme and carried out his final year research project, on pseudo-thrombocytopenia (PTCP), in the Haematology laboratory in St. Vincent's University Hospital. PTCP is a relatively common laboratory-diagnosed condition that interferes with automated platelet counts and can lead to unnecessary further testing. The goal of the study, using 1461 samples, was to produce evidence for procedural changes and streamline investigative pathways. Gaby Couch has also just graduated from Biomedical Science at TU Dublin, completing her final year research project in the Haematology laboratory at the Mater Misericordiae University Hospital (MMUH). Gaby spoke about her project at the Haematology workshop, involving Lupus Anticoagulant (LA) testing, current guidelines and her investigation into newer alternatives for this testing.


Meanwhile, in the Microbiology workshop session, delegates enjoyed hearing about - ‘Antimicrobial Stewardship Accreditation: How we (and the lab) did it’ - the title of the talk by Ms Claire McSherry, St Columcille’s Hospital. The Antimicrobial Stewardship (AMS) team, at St.Columcille’s, included AMS accreditation as a key priority in their AMS annual plan, 2023. Claire discussed the journey to this and stated that in October 2023, the hospital was awarded Level 3 BSAC GAMSAS accreditation - which represents the highest achievable level of accreditation. Dr Nicki Rees, registrar at St Vincent’s University Hospital, followed with a comparison of laboratory practices in clinical microbiology, between Ireland and South Africa (and as she states - not just the rugby!). Nicki highlighted the variations between the countries, in epidemiology, technology and political environments and how that this impacts laboratory practices. Nicki’s interest areas include antimicrobial and diagnostic stewardship, neglected tropical diseases, the human microbiome and health education. 
Point- of- Care Testing (POCT) or Near Patient Testing (NPT) provides rapid, accurate and precise results that facilitate diagnosis and patient management. Dr Gemma O’Brien detailed the experiences in Beaumont Hospital, in implementing COVID, Flu A and B POCT in the emergency department there, during the height of the COVID- 19 pandemic. Gemma O’Brien has a total of 20 years’ experience working as a Medical Scientist in the fields of Clinical Chemistry and NPT and is now based in Beaumont Hospital, working as Chief in NPT. Her experience has involved introducing and developing NPT accredited services across a multitude of laboratory disciplines. In 2024, Gemma has lead Beaumont Hospital’s NPT department in being the first NPT service in Ireland to have all its services electronically integrated to the National Medical Laboratory Information System (MedLIS).


The MedLIS experience in Blood Transfusion at Beaumont Hospital was the topic running concurrently in the Blood Transfusion workshop, with speakers - Ms Anne Geaney and Mr Paul Sheridan. They provided the delegates with an overview and particular focus on Pathnet Blood Transfusion implementation and experience. Anne is the Blood Transfusion and Data Migration lead on the MedLIS project. Paul Sheridan is a Senior Medical Scientist in Blood Transfusion at the hospital, responsible for the Blood Transfusion MedLIS Lead. Major incident planning for Blood Transfusion was the next talk by Ms Cathy Leddy, Connolly Hospital, who discussed the Connolly Hospital experience, including three major incident drills, completed in conjunction with North Dublin hospitals, Dublin Fire Brigade and the hospital wide drill. Cathy focused on the learning outcomes, improvements and training for the planning. The Blood Transfusion National Children’s Hospital Project - by Ms Martina Williams, CHI Crumlin, was the final Blood Transfusion workshop presentation. Martina Williams is the Chief Medical Scientist for both the Crumlin and Temple St Blood Transfusion laboratories in Children’s Health Ireland. Martina explained how this involves the merging of two laboratories in a new purpose built, state-of-the-art, hospital facility, with the Transfusion Laboratory Information System being implemented at the same time. The presentation focused on the work to date and ongoing challenges for the team.


The IEQAS conference thus concluded, leaving delegates with much to discuss and hopefully having gained new insights and ideas for their own laboratories and practice. The Irish Quality Assessment Scheme are delighted with another successful and well supported conference. A big thanks to all involved and to those who attended. A special send-off to Patricia Howley, who has retired from IEQAS after 25 years. The Book of Abstracts 2024, with full details of the conference programme, sponsors and speakers can found on the IEQAS website at www.ieqas.ie.
Sponsored By: ACBI, ACSLM, Brennan & Company, Cruinn Diagnostics, Eurofins Biomnis, Labquality, Roche.
Maria Phelan , Irish External Quality Assessment Scheme CLG