Key Assurance Indicators for laboratory services

The College has published a new key assurance indicators (KAIs) document to replace the key performance indicators (KPIs) document to ensure that these indicators remain current and are adapted, where necessary, to focus on those that assure service quality rather than performance efficiency. Following extensive consultation with stakeholders – including all College members – each KPI has been reframed as a key assurance indicator (KAI). Furthermore, the numbers of indicators have also been reduced to avoid duplication of the ISO15189:2012 standard.

The new KAIs cover the following seven key areas of pathology practice:

  • KAIs for senior staff
  • KAIs for training, education and innovation
  • KAIs for repertoire of tests and reporting of errors
  • KAIs for engagement with patients and users
  • KAI for interpretative clinical advice and engagement with Multi-Disciplinary Teams (MDTs)
  • KAIs for timeliness of reports and clinical advice
  • KAI for external quality assurance.

When approving the generic change to KAIs, College Council also agreed that, where needed, each of the specialty advisory and intercollegiate committees will provide further input into creating a limited portfolio of specialty-specific KPIs. Consultation on and publication of these specialty specific indicators will take place as a second phase of work. Until these specialty-specific KPIs are produced, we are keeping the KPIs document online and will continue to reference them in any published documents.