Quality Management and Accreditation

A Community Interest Company or CIC is a special type of limited company which exists to benefit the community. The model is unique to England and EMQN recognises its community as all stakeholders involved in global genomics testing. EMQN is legally bound and committed to reinvesting a majority of any profits back in the community including developing new EQA schemes, running educational services and developing Best Practice guidelines.

EMQN CIC is accredited to the standard ISO 17043:2023 by the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS). Our accreditation number is 4367. Visit here for more information

As a UK registered company, we comply with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR). EMQN is committed to protecting your personal information and handling it securely and responsibly. Our Privacy Policy explains what information we collect, how it is used, how it is protected, and the rights you have regarding your personal data. You can view the full Privacy Policy on our website.

We have a Quality Management System for document control, management of non-conformance, supplier management and audit. The QMS is part of our accreditation evidence base used for our own UKAS inspections. EMQN has a Quality Group which meets monthly.

We welcome compliments, feedback, and suggestions from our participants.

Whether you would like to recognise excellent service, share a positive experience, or suggest an improvement, we would be pleased to hear from you. Your feedback helps us enhance our services, identify good practice, and recognise the contributions of our staff and collaborators.

Feedback can be submitted at any time through the EMQN Support Portal.

We are committed to providing a high-quality service and welcome feedback when things do not go as expected. Most concerns can be resolved quickly by contacting the EMQN office.

If you wish to make a complaint, we will acknowledge it, investigate the issue, and provide a written response outlining our findings and any actions taken. All complaints are handled fairly, consistently, and confidentially through our Quality Management processes.

If you are not satisfied with the outcome, your complaint may be referred to the Scientific and Strategic Advisory Board (SSAB) for further review. Formal complaints can be submitted through the EMQN Support Portal.

No. Participants will not be disadvantaged or treated unfairly for raising a complaint, concern, or providing feedback. EMQN is committed to handling all complaints objectively and professionally.

External Quality Assessment provides an independent measure of laboratory performance, helping identify areas for improvement and demonstrating commitment to quality. EQA is a mandatory requirement for any laboratory accredited to ISO 15189 or ISO 17025.

Many laboratories use EQA participation as part of their quality management system and to support compliance with accreditation standards such as ISO 15189.

EMQN encourages laboratories to investigate the root cause, implement corrective actions where appropriate, and use the feedback provided to improve future performance.

Many laboratories include EQA reports and certificates as part of their quality records during accreditation assessments and audits.