The full list of College publications follows. Click on the titles below to download the document/s you require or for further information where applicable.

If you cannot see an old College document, it may have been withdrawn or archived. Click here for a list of these documents.

Many of our publications are now only available online, but for enquiries about hard copies, please email the Publications Department, or tel 020 7451 6730.

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General documents
Cancer datasets and tissue pathways
Clinical biochemistry
Cytopathology
Forensic pathology
Genetics
Haematology
Histocompatibility and immunogenetics
Histopathology
Immunology and allergy
Medical microbiology
Paediatric pathology

General documents	Date
Guidelines for handling medicolegal specimens and preserving the chain of evidence	July 2008
Out-of-hours reporting of markedly abnormal laboratory test results to primary care: Advice to pathologists	Nov 2007
Guidance on the use of clinical samples retained in the pathology laboratory	Sep 2007
Clinical governance of NHS staff in single-handed practice with particular reference to point-of-care testing	Mar 2007
Questions and answers: The Human Tissue Act 2004	Oct 2006
Guidelines on the release of specimens and data to the police and other law enforcement agencies	Oct 2006
Evaluating and introducing new diagnostic tests: The need for a national strategy	Jul 2006
Workload management in laboratory medicine: patient safety and professional practices	Jun 2006
Guidance for pathologists and anatomical pathology technologists for autopsy of cadavers with known or suspected pandemic (avian) influenza	Apr 2006
Concerns about performance in pathology: Guidance for healthcare organisations and pathologists This publication is currently under review. Please contact Stella Macaskill on 0207 451 6736 if you have any queries.
Guide to the College for Registered Trainees, new Fellows, College officers, Directors and staff	Nov 2005
Use of specimens from healthy volunteers	Aug 2005
Ethical issues in organ and tissue transplantation to humans	Aug 2005
Telepathology: Guidance from The Royal College of Pathologists	May 2005
Codes of practice for pathology services and departments	May 2005
The retention and storage of pathological records and archives (3rd edition)	Sep 2005  revised Oct 2006
Guidelines for the appointment of career grade locum pathologists	Mar 2005
The clinical scientist in pathology	Mar 2005
A brief guide on consent for pathologists	Jan 2005
Guidance on consent for the processing and analysis of clinical samples following an initial consultation	Jan 2005
Sudden Unexpected Death in Infancy: A multi-agency protocol for care and investigation	Sep 2004
The healthcare agenda and pathology services in England	Aug 2004
Guidelines on inter-departmental dispatch of samples from patients sent to another hospital or centre for assessment and/or treatment (2nd edition)	Sep 2006
The future role of medical graduates and consultants in pathology services	Apr 2004
Benefits of Fellowship and Membership of The Royal College of Pathologists	Nov 2003
Good Medical Practice in Pathology (46 pp, 231 KB)	Jun 2002
College advice relating to the ownership, storage and release of pathology results	Jan 2000
Pathology: The hidden science that saves lives	2000
Medical and Scientific Staffing of National Health Service Pathology Departments The Histopathology and Cytopathology chapters of this document are superseded by the June 2005 publication.	Jun 1999
Market Testing of Pathology: Guidance for Pathologists	Mar 1996

Archived/withdrawn documents
If you cannot see an old College document in the above list, it may have been withdrawn or superseded by a new edition. For a list of these documents, please click here.

Clinical biochemistry	Date
Code of practice for pathology services and departments	May 2005
Guidelines on inter-departmental dispatch of samples from patients sent to another hospital or centre for assessment and/or treatment (2nd edition)	Sep 2006
Guidelines on point-of-care testing (ref 11 updated Oct 2004)	May 2004
NHS clinical biochemistry: 'A profession under siege'	May 2002

Archived/withdrawn documents
If you cannot see an old College document in the above list, it may have been withdrawn or superseded by a new edition. For a list of these documents, please click here.

Cytopathology	Date
Guidance for histopathologists/cytopathologists on reporting at home (2nd edition)	Sep 2006
Guidelines on staffing and workload for histopathology and cytopathology departments (2nd edition)	Jun 2005
Guidelines on point-of-care testing (reference 11 updated Oct 2004)	May 2004
Achievable Standards, Benchmarks for Reporting, Criteria for Evaluating Cervical Cytopathology, 2nd edition	May 2000
Recommendations for the Development of Histopathology/ Cytopathology External Quality Assessment Schemes	1998

Archived/withdrawn documents
If you cannot see an old College document in the above list, it may have been withdrawn or superseded by a new edition. For a list of these documents, please click here.

Forensic pathology	Date
Code of practice and performance standards for forensic pathologists dealing with suspicious deaths in Scotland (jointly produced with the Scottish Government and Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service)	Nov 2007
Code of practice and performance standards for forensic pathologists (jointly produced with the Home Office Policy Advisory Board for Forensic Pathology)	Nov 2004

Archived/withdrawn documents
If you cannot see an old College document in the above list, it may have been withdrawn or superseded by a new edition. For a list of these documents, please click here.

Genetics	Date
Code of practice for genetics laboratories	Aug 2006
Consent and confidentiality in genetic practice Guidance on genetic testing and sharing genetic information	Jul 2006
Revised advice on laboratory containment measures for work with tissue samples in clinical cytogenetics laboratories	Jul 2001

Archived/withdrawn documents
If you cannot see an old College document in the above list, it may have been withdrawn or superseded by a new edition. For a list of these documents, please click here.

Haematology	Date
Haematology consultant workforce: The next 10 years	Jan 2008
Best Practice in Lymphoma Diagnosis and Reporting A joint document from RCPath and BCSH	Jan 2008
Guidelines on inter-departmental dispatch of samples from patients sent to another hospital or centre for assessment and/or treatment (2nd edition)	Sep 2006
Code of practice for pathology services and departments	May 2005
Haematology consultant manpower in the 21st century	Jan 2001
Standards of Care for Children with Leukaemia: Recommendations of a Working Group	1996

Archived/withdrawn documents
If you cannot see an old College document in the above list, it may have been withdrawn or superseded by a new edition. For a list of these documents, please click here.

Histocompatibility and immunogenetics	Date
Code of practice for pathology services and departments	May 2005

Archived/withdrawn documents
If you cannot see an old College document in the above list, it may have been withdrawn or superseded by a new edition. For a list of these documents, please click here.

Histopathology	Date
Review of the categorisation of discrepancies in histopathology	Nov 2008
Datasets	Various
Best Practice in Lymphoma Diagnosis and Reporting A joint document from RCPath and BCSH	Jan 2008
Guidelines for the reporting of ophthalmic pathology specimens	Oct 2007 revised Mar 2008
Guidance on histopathology referral practice	Mar 2007
Guidance for histopathologists/cytopathologists on reporting at home (2nd edition)	Sep 2006
Guidelines on Autopsy Practice - best practice scenarios	Jun 2006
The recognition and roles of specialist cellular pathologists	Jun 2006
Datasets, TNM and dysplasia: news and views from the Working Group on Cancer Services	Jan 2006
Histopathology of limited or no clinical value (2nd edition)	Dec 2005
Guidelines on staffing and workload for histopathology and cytopathology departments (2nd edition)	Jun 2005
Code of practice for pathology services and departments	May 2005
Pathology reporting of breast disease amended Oct 2005	Jan 2005
Training Logbook for the IBMS Advanced Specialist Certificate (General Level) in Histological Dissection - categories B and C only	Jun 2004
Guidelines on inter-departmental dispatch of samples from patients sent to another hospital or centre for assessment and/or treatment (2nd edition)	Sep 2006
Joint RCPath/IBMS Working Group on the implementation of the extended role of biomedical scientists in specimen description, dissection and sampling - Final report	Jan 2004
Code of practice for pathologists participating in remote reporting of histopathology or cytopathology	Aug 2003
Guidelines on good practice for histopathology on-call rotas, including frozen sections	Aug 2003
Video: Parents and Post Mortems	Mar 2003
Guidelines on autopsy practice	Sep 2002
Guidance for retention of brain and spinal cord following post mortem and where criminal proceedings are in prospect	Jan 2002
Deaths in Major Disasters: The Pathologists' Role (2nd edition)	2000
Recommendations for the Development of Histopathology/ Cytopathology External Quality Assessment Schemes	1998
Limitations of Expert Evidence	Mar 1996
NHS Cancer Screening Programme

Archived/withdrawn documents
If you cannot see an old College document in the above list, it may have been withdrawn or superseded by a new edition. For a list of these documents, please click here.

Immunology and allergy	Date
Allergy and allergy tests: A guide for patients and relatives	Jun 2002
Consensus Document for the Diagnosis and Management of Patients with Primary Antibody Deficiencies	Oct 1995
Good Allergy Practice	Oct 1994

Archived/withdrawn documents
If you cannot see an old College document in the above list, it may have been withdrawn or superseded by a new edition. For a list of these documents, please click here.

Medical microbiology	Date
National guidelines on a standardised proforma for 'chain of evidence' specimen collection and on retention and storage of specimens relating to the management of suspected sexually transmitted infections in children and young people for medicolegal purposes	May 2005
Blue Skies Agenda for Microbiology: How do we deliver microbiology services for the next decade and beyond?	Dec 2004
Getting ahead of the curve - a strategy for infectious diseases. Recommendations on configurations of clinical and public health microbiology and virology services for the diagnosis, prevention and management of infection	Apr 2002
Consultant workload and staffing in medical microbiology and virology	Apr 2001
HIV and The Practice of Pathology	Jul 1995
Intercollegiate Report on Reducing Transmission of HIV from Mother to Child in the UK	Jul 2006

Archived/withdrawn documents
If you cannot see an old College document in the above list, it may have been withdrawn or superseded by a new edition. For a list of these documents, please click here.

Paediatric pathology	Date
Sudden Unexpected Death in Infancy: A multi-agency protocol for care and investigation	Sep 2004
The Future of Paediatric Pathology Services	Mar 2002
Fetal and perinatal pathology	Jun 2001
Service Specification for Paediatric and Perinatal Histopathology	1995

Archived/withdrawn documents
If you cannot see an old College document in the above list, it may have been withdrawn or superseded by a new edition. For a list of these documents, please click here.