Professional guidance
The IBMS enables our profession to deliver safe, high-quality care by setting standards for the profession and supporting biomedical scientists in their practice
IBMS professional guidance is developed by scientific and professional experts that include members of the IBMS Advisory Panels and Education and Professional Standards Committee.
IBMS benchmark policies
IBMS benchmark policies support the delivery of safe, efficient laboratory services
Good Professional Practice for Biomedical Scientists
Supervision of Biomedical Support Staff (Assistant and Associate Practitioners)
Staffing and Workload in Clinical Diagnostic Laboratory Services
Guidance on Quality Management in Laboratories
Patient Sample Request and Identification From Criteria
Point of Care Testing Please note: this guidance is currently under review
Giving Results over the Telephone Please note: this guidance is currently under review
Laboratory training approval and clinical standards
Standards for laboratory training and good practice for laboratories delivering IBMS qualifications
Laboratory Training Standards for IBMS Qualifications
For further details on IBMS Laboratory Approval, please visit our dedicated Training Laboratory page
Joint guidance
Joint IBMS - Royal College of Pathologists (RCPath) guidance
Guidelines for Handling Medicolegal Specimens and Preserving the Chain of Evidence
This guidance is currently under review and will be going out to consultation shortly
Guidelines for the Release of Specimens and Data to the Police and other Law Enforcement Agencies
This guidance is currently under review and will be going out to consultation shortly
The Retention and Storage of Pathological Records and Specimens
Joint IBMS, British Association for Cytopathology (BAC) and Royal College of Pathologists guidance
Role of biomedical scientists within the provision of a non-gynaecological cytology service
Updated guidance addressing changes in the non-gynaecological cytology service model.
United Kingdom Transfusion Laboratory Collaborative (UKTLC)
UK Transfusion Laboratory Collaborative: Recommended Minimum Standards for Hospital Transfusion Laboratories
Recommendations of the UK Transfusion Laboratory Collaborative, which have also been sent to all laboratory and service managers.
The Serious Hazards of Transfusion (SHOT) collects and analyses anonymised information reported in the UK about serious adverse reactions and events related to blood transfusion and then makes recommendations to improve patient and transfusion safety. The SHOT Annual Reports and Summaries can be found here.
Guidance Resources
Guidance on access to health records for diagnostic staff
The National Information Governance Board for Health and Social Care has published guidance Access to Health Records by Diagnostic Staff - Guidance for Patients and Healthcare Professionals.
Achievable standards, Benchmarks for reporting, and Criteria for evaluating cervical cytopathology
Standards for the management of sexually transmitted infections (STIs)