Events in 2023

CRYOSTAT 2 trial

Join your network workforce leads/practice educators for a solution focused discussion around workforce challenges. Find out about current education and development opportunities with specific emphasis on support workers, advanced clinical practice and leadership. We welcome your participation in helping to shape the future of your pathology workforce.

You are invited by the speakers to complete this online form before the presentation

Amyloidosis is disease caused by extracellular deposition in the tissues of abnormal protein in a characteristic fibrillar form known as amyloid. Early and correct diagnosis is essential so that patients benefit from appropriate and timely treatment.

The presentation will highlight the need for rigour in the demonstration of amyloid, new techniques, research, diagnosis and treatment.

This interactive presentation will discuss general demonstration techniques, troubleshooting, and how to make the best out of the feedback you receive from your UK NEQAS CPT Results reports. The content will also cover – how to manage SOPs, importance of understanding mechanisms of action and uses of stains, recording, monitoring, and trending of IQC failures and use of UK NEQAS CPT resources to help improve staining.

There will also be an opportunity for delegates to join in and score examples of stained slides against the UK NEQAS CPT assessment criteria.

Polio – why has it reappeared?

Overview of Governance and Escalation of Persistent Poor Performers," we will be discussing the governance structure of EQA in the UK, as well as poor performance and escalation. We will provide three examples and encourage audience participation

This presentation is based on a case study used for a portfolio of Higher Specialist Diploma awarded by the IBMS. The presentation will look at how blood cultures taken on admission helped with diagnosis and appropriate treatment of a patient. It will also go in to brief detail on the organism isolated, Streptobacillus moniliformis.

Changing and expanding roles in Cellular Pathology

Interpretation of ISAC

Diphtheria is a potentially fatal disease caused by strains of Corynebacterium diphtheriae, C. ulcerans or C. pseudotubercolosis that express the diphtheria toxin. It can present as a respiratory infection or as non-healing skin wounds. Diphtheria was historically most likely to be caused by C. diphtheriae. It is very rare in England (typically <10 cases per year) due to a successful routine immunisation programme. However, there has been a recent gradual increase in cases over several years, particularly cutaneous infections and those caused by toxigenic C. ulcerans strains (which can be carried by household pets).

In 2022, there was a particulary large increase in diphtheria in England, with 87 cases and 3 deaths. This included 72 toxigenic C. diphtheriae infections in asylum seekers, thought to be aquired during their travel to the UK. Symptoms ranged from severe respiratory diphtheria to cutaneous infections and asymptomatic carriage. Similar increases of C. diphtheriae infections in travelling migrants have been seen in several European countries. Some of these isolates are multidrug resistant, including to macrolides, the default recommendation for treatment, and this will require careful monitoring.