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
Communication of Pathology Results
Good Professional Practice for Biomedical Scientists
Guidance on Quality Management in Laboratories
Patient Sample Request and Identification From Criteria
Supervision of Biomedical Support Staff (Assistant and Associate Practitioners)
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
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)
UKTLC Standards March 2023
An abbreviated version of the 2023 UKTLC standards is now available on the SHOT website. This is accompanied by some useful tools such as a gap analysis, example capacity plan and examples for reviewing equivalence to qualifications required. The standards and resources can all be accessed via the UKTLC webpage on the SHOT website here
Serious Hazards of Transfusion (SHOT) Reports
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 latest SHOT Reports can be found here.
Guidance Resources
Achievable standards, Benchmarks for reporting, and Criteria for evaluating cervical cytopathology
IBMS options and considerations for staff changing discipline or retraining 2019
Standards for the management of sexually transmitted infections (STIs)
Acting as an expert or professional witness
A guidance document for healthcare professionals from the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges
Tissue pathways for diagnostic cytopathology
Royal College of Pathologists