UK SMI Development
The NICE accreditation applies to all guidance produced since October 2009 using the UK SMI development processes.
The UK SMIs are reviewed and updated every 3 years or earlier if necessary, to reflect changes in current practice. Reviews can be extended up to 5 years where appropriate.
Steering Committee membership
The UK SMI steering committee recommends and endorses NICE accredited microbiology standards. The committee oversees working groups who are responsible for the laboratory, clinical and public health input to the UK SMIs. The working groups work with the Standards Unit and are accountable to the steering committee.
The Steering Committee and the working groups work with professional and public sector organisations including professional societies, UKHSA, and the Royal College of Pathologists to develop and endorse the standards.
The Standards Unit is responsible for the development of UK SMIs which is core funded by UKHSA to cover the running costs of staff, Steering Committee and three working groups. The running costs also include travel expenses for the chair, lay representatives and administrative costs of arranging meetings. Travel expenses for members are covered by their respective ‘partner organisations’.
UK SMI Steering Committee membership
The role of the Steering Committee chaired by Dr Albert Mifsud is to recommend and endorse NICE accredited microbiology standards. The Committee is also responsible for the strategic direction of UK SMI development. The Committee oversees working groups who are responsible for the laboratory, clinical and public health input to the UK SMIs. The working groups work with the Standards Unit and are accountable to the Steering Committee.
Chair:
Dr Albert Mifsud - (Consultant Microbiologist, Barts Health NHS Trust and Interim Clinical Lead, London Public Health Laboratory)
UK SMI Team:
Hannah Curnow – Information officer/Healthcare scientist
Ruhi Siddiqui - Head of Standards Unit
Rina Shah Desai - Standards Microbiologist
Shahmeen Ali - Healthcare Research Scientist
Vrinda Lobo – Technical Support Officer
Zainab Sebbar - Healthcare Scientist
Members:
Dr Alison Watt - Chair of the UK SMI Virology/Serology Working Group. Northern Ireland Microbiology Forum and Audit group
Prof. Angharad Davies - Microbiology Society
Dr Chris Settle - Healthcare Infection Society
Dr Deborah E. A. Lockhart - Association of Clinical Oral Microbiologists
Ian Cocking - Institute of Biomedical Science
Jonathan Turner - UK Health Security Agency
Dr Justin Pachebat - British Society for Parasitology
Dr Katie Jeffery - British Infection Association
Kenworth Vaughan - Lay representative
Lewis White - British Society for Medical Mycology
Dr Lim Jones - Public Health Wales
Prof Mark Fielder - Applied Microbiology International
Mark Prescott - United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS)
Dr Mark Wilks - Society for Anaerobic Microbiology, the Association for Clinical Biochemistry and Laboratory Medicine and British Society for Microbial Technology
Dr Matthijs Backx - British Society for Medical Mycology
Phil Lewis - Welsh Microbiological Association
Dr Riina Rautemaa-Richardson - Chair of the UK SMI Bacteriology Working Group
Dr Roger Gibb - Lay representative
Dr Silke Schelenz - UK Clinical Mycology Network
Dr Tessa Lewis - Royal College of General Practitioners
Dr Tim Wyatt - Northern Ireland Public Health Agency
Working group membership
Working groups
The working groups for UK Standards for Microbiology Investigations (UK SMIs) include:
- Working group for microbiology standards in clinical bacteriology
- Working group for microbiology standards in clinical virology/serology
- Joint working group for the development of syndromic documents
Working Group for Microbiology Standards in Clinical Bacteriology Membership
Working Group for Microbiology Standards in Clinical Bacteriology Membership
The role of the Bacteriology Working Group chaired by Riina Richardson is to recommend and present good microbiology standards consistent with current good practice that will ensure an acceptable standard of working for bacteriology investigations in the UK.
Chair:
Dr Riina Rautemaa-Richardson
UK SMI Team:
Hannah Curnow – Information officer/Healthcare scientist
Ruhi Siddiqui - Head of Standards Unit
Rina Shah Desai - Standards Microbiologist
Shahmeen Ali - Healthcare Research Scientist
Vrinda Lobo – Technical Support Officer
Zainab Sebbar - Healthcare Scientist
Members:
Dr Andrew Sails - Applied Microbiology International
Dr Claire Alexander - Scottish Microbiology and Virology Network
David Jordan - Scottish Microbiology and Virology Network
Dr Deborah E. A. Lockhart - Association of Clinical Oral Microbiologists
Karen Reynolds - UK Health Security Agency
Kenny Vaughan - Lay representative
Dr Lewis White - British Society for Medical Mycology
Linda Mulhern - Scottish Microbiology and Virology Network
Lim Jones - Public Health Wales
Dr Matthijs Backx - British Society for Medical Mycology
Mark Prescott - United Kingdom Accreditation Service
Dr Natasha Ratnaraja - British Infection Association
Dr Penny Cliff - The Association for Clinical Biochemistry and Laboratory Medicine
Phillipa Burns - The British Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy
Philip Lewis - Public Health Wales
Prof Rachel Chalmers - British Society for Parasitology
Dr Rohinton Mulla - No Partner Organisation
Sally Lowe - British Society for Microbial Technology
Dr Sayed Bukhari - No Partner Organisation
Shanine Mitchell - Institute of Biomedical Science
Dr Silke Schelenz - United Kingdom Clinical Mycology Network
Dr Tanya Curran - Northern Ireland Microbiology Forum and Audit Group
Co-opted members:
Dr Rebecca Gorton
Dr Sanjiv Rughooputh
Working Group for Microbiology Standards in Clinical Virology/Serology membership
Working Group for Microbiology Standards in Clinical Virology/Serology membership
The role of the Virology Working Group Chaired by Dr Alison Watt is to recommend and present good microbiology standards consistent with current good practice that will ensure an acceptable standard of working for virology and serology investigations in the UK.
Chair:
Dr Alison Watt - Northern Ireland Microbiology Forum and Audit group
UK SMI Team:
Hannah Curnow – Information officer/Healthcare scientist
Ruhi Siddiqui - Head of Standards Unit
Rina Shah Desai - Standards Microbiologist
Shahmeen Ali - Healthcare Research Scientist
Vrinda Lobo – Technical Support Officer
Zainab Sebbar - Healthcare Scientist
Members:
Barry Creamer - Lay representative
Judith Workman - UK Health Security Agency
Dr Kate Templeton - Association for Clinical Biochemistry and Laboratory Medicine - UK Clinical Virology
Network.
Laura Ryall - Institute of Biomedical Science - Applied Microbiology International
Mark Prescott - United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS)
Peter Gosling - Lay representative
Dr Samuel Moses - British Infection Association
Dr Scot Nicholson - Scottish Microbiology and Virology Network
Co-opted members:
Dr Ciara Cox
Dr Emma Davies
Dr Emma Cunningham
Dr Lesley Nixon
Dr Jenny Poller
Dr Sophia Gillett
Dr Samantha Shepherd
Dr Richard Capstick
Dr Sanjiv Rughooputh
Consultation stages and document markings
Consultation stages and document markings
Each UK SMI will undergo a public consultation for a minimum of 2 weeks. New UK SMIs generally have two rounds of consultation and previously issued documents tend to have one unless significant changes are made during the development process.
The ‘Draft’ watermark means that a document is new to the UK SMI repository or is actively undergoing review.
The ‘Under review’ watermark refers to a document that is already in the UK SMI repository but requires a review.
The ‘Under Consultation’ watermark refers to documents which are either draft or under review which are undergoing wide consultation.
Acknowledgments
Acknowledgments
UK SMIs are developed under the auspices of UKHSA working in partnership with the professional organisations participating in equal partnership and support for the objectives and process of UK SMIs (See Partner oganisations accordion below). UK SMIs are developed, reviewed and revised by various working groups which are overseen by a steering committee (See Steering Committee membership accordion above).
The contributions of many individuals in clinical, specialist and reference laboratories who have provided information and comments during the development of UK SMIs are acknowledged. We are grateful to the medical editors for editing the medical content.
Suggested citation
To cite a UK SMI document please use the following format:
UK Health Security Agency (Year of Issue). Title of UK SMI document. UK Standards for Microbiology Investigations. B/ID/TP/V/Q/S # Issue # https://www.rcpath.org/profession/publications/standards-for-microbiology-investigations.html.
Partner organisations
Partner organisations
UK SMIs are developed in equal partnership with UKHSA, the Royal College of Pathologists and professional societies. Inclusion of a logo in a UK SMI indicates participation of the society in equal partnership and support for the objectives and process of preparing UK SMIs. Nominees of professional societies are members of the Steering Committee and Working Groups which develop UK SMIs. The views of nominees cannot be rigorously representative of the members of their nominating organisations nor the corporate views of their organisations. Nominees act as a conduit for 2-way reporting and dialogue. Representative views are sought through the consultation process. UK SMIs are developed, reviewed and updated through a wide consultation process.
Public and patient involvement (PPI)
Public and patient involvement (PPI)
The standards unit encourages public and patient involvement (PPI) in the development of all UK SMIs.
All PPI activities within the standards unit follow the UKHSA public involvement policy and take place following discussion with the UKHSA public involvement team.
Lay representation for the UK SMI working groups and Steering committee is drawn from the UKHSA Public Involvement team.
Quality assurance and accreditation
Quality assurance and accreditation
NICE has accredited the process of producing UK SMIs used by the UK SMI working groups.
The accreditation applies to all guidance produced since October 2009 using the UK SMI development processes.
Accreditation is valid until 30 June 2026.
The process for developing UK SMIs is also certified to ISO 9001.2015
In using UK SMIs, laboratories should take account of local requirements and undertake additional investigations where appropriate. UK SMIs help laboratories to meet accreditation requirements by promoting high quality practices which are auditable. UK SMIs also provide a reference point for method development.
The performance of UK SMIs depends on competent staff and appropriate quality reagents and equipment. Laboratories must ensure that they have validated all commercial and in-house tests, to ensure the tests are fit for purpose.
Laboratories should participate in external quality assessment schemes and undertake relevant internal quality control procedures.
Implementation tool
Implementation tool
UK SMIs are evidence-based standards of practice that are produced in compliance with NICE accreditation requirements. The implementation of UK SMIs should consist of adoption by laboratories of the methods in their entirety and without amendment of the content. Circumstances in which deviation from the UK SMIs may occur are those for which local arrangements and conditions preclude the use of a particular UK SMI as published. In all cases of deviation, laboratories are advised to establish an evidence base for their local practice, including test evaluation as applicable.
Incorporation of the UK SMIs into local laboratory document systems and translation into local style guides is acceptable but attention must be given to effective document control taking account of any future revisions to each UK SMI.
The Standards Unit at UKHSA would welcome any evidence in support of practices that differ from those published.
Laboratories may find the leaflet helpful to implement UK SMIs.