Frequently asked questions

The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) is an executive agency of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra). APHA is an internationally recognised centre of scientific excellence providing a wide range of research and consultancy to the UK Government and commercial customers. We specialise in diseases of livestock and plants, diagnosis of disease and surveillance of new and emerging disease. APHA is an executive agency, sponsored by the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs, the Welsh Government, and The Scottish Government.

We work to safeguard animal and plant health for the benefit of people, the environment and the economy.

VETQAS® is APHA Scientific’s independent, accredited Quality Assurance unit and has been established for over 50 years. VETQAS® is the international market leader in Proficiency Testing (PT) for veterinary laboratories. It is a UKAS accredited proficiency testing provider No. 0004. The majority of our PT schemes are accredited to ISO 17043, please view schedule of accreditation.

The Proficiency Testing schemes we offer help provide testing laboratories with the evidence necessary to prove that their tests meet third party accreditation quality
standards.

Visit our VETQAS^® Proficiency Testing page for more information about this service.

To enhance its scientific activity APHA develops commercial products and services and makes them available to organisations globally. These are brought together under APHA Scientific to ensure the products and services are delivered effectively to customers.

Please use our general mailbox address, which is VETQAS@apha.gov.uk. This mailbox is monitored throughout normal office hours by our Admin team and emails will be forwarded to the most appropriate member of staff. Telephone number is +44 (0) 3000 600003. When contacting us please quote your QAL contract number or your Lab ID number so that we can identify you.

Members of staff are available Monday to Friday, 08:00 to 17:00 hrs (UK time). We are closed on Saturday and Sunday and on UK Bank Holidays. An answering machine is available for messages outside of working hours and when staff are temporarily unavailable.

Email us at VETQAS@apha.gov.uk with details of the scheme you want to join (using the PT number from our price-list) and we will send you a quote of the costs involved. When you have confirmed that you want to join the scheme we will send you an Acknowledgement of Order (contract) for you to sign and return.

Proficiency Testing and External Quality Assessment are different names for the same thing. PT/EQA acts as a check on the laboratory quality system by the testing of specimens of undisclosed content.

Internal Quality Control relates to controls used routinely in a laboratory’s processes to verify that a particular test is performed correctly. PT relates to ongoing monitoring of a laboratory’s performance using a test method over time using samples that are more closely related to real test samples.

PT results should be monitored over a period of time to detect bias or repeated unsatisfactory results, which may indicate poor performance. A single poor result is not indicative of overall lab performance but neither is a single good result.

Depending on the scheme, samples can be liquid or freeze dried serum, freeze dried cultures or Lenticules (small discs that contain bacteria), whole blood, freeze dried tissue/milk samples, faeces or glass slides. For some schemes, e.g. Microbiology, they may not be in the usual matrix but will contain the expected mix of organisms usually found in that sample type. Every PT sample must be stable and homogeneous throughout the testing period. The best way to achieve this with some Microbiology schemes is to use simulated specimens.

The main benefit is to give you confidence that your lab is performing its routine testing correctly. You will get an unbiased external assessment of your performance which can be used to show competency to your clients / accreditation assessors.

The majority of schemes on the price list are accredited by United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) to ISO/IEC 17043 – Conformity assessment Guidelines for Proficiency testing providers. All schemes on the website price list are annotated showing current status.

Our price list indicates schemes that are accredited. You can access further
information by clicking on these links:

UKAS website

VETQAS currently offer veterinary schemes covering Antibody detection, Haematology, Virology, TSE, Parasitology, Feed Tests, Microbiology and Histopathology. New schemes are always under evaluation.

Information sheets for each PT scheme can be found on the website to help you decide whether a scheme is suitable for your needs. Please view our VETQAS Proficiency Testing Schemes page and click on ‘More information’ on a specific scheme to view more information.

Please contact us as we may have a scheme that is not currently listed due to shortage of material, or it may be under development.

The cost on the price list is for all the distribution months listed and for one contract year (1st April to 31st March).

Samples are tested prior to issue to obtain an assigned value (intended results). For some schemes statistics are used on the participant’s results to determine the assigned value.

Each scheme is assessed by an expert and relevant comments are added to provide feedback to participants. For some schemes statistics are used including mean values, z scores, and for some serology schemes the results are compared to an intended range or value.

Yes, each participant is allocated a confidential Lab ID number and results are tabulated using these. Laboratory names are not used on reports.

Our data policies can be found in section 5 of our standard Terms & Conditions.

Proficiency Testing Laboratory Information Management System. This is a system designed specifically for VETQAS. It is used to administer the contract and scheme details for all of our Proficiency Testing customers. Customers log onto our PT LIMS via the internet and enter the results of their testing. PT LIMS then processes the results and produces the tabulated reports. PT LIMS then sends an e-mail to participants to inform them that tabulated results are available. Participants can then view their results by logging on to PT LIMS.

APHA Test and Disease experts are available to offer additional help when required.

Instructions are included with each set of samples – results must be entered online.

Each scheme has a deadline date for return of results shown on the paperwork, and reports will be published on-line usually within 3 weeks of that date. Your laboratory contact person(s) will be sent an automatic email indicating the report is available to view.

Instructions are included with each batch of samples for handling, storage, testing, disposal and reporting results. Participants are asked to treat the PT material in the same way as routine test material and to state their method when reporting results. It is important that this information is provided as results are evaluated according to the method stated.

Samples may contain pathogens of hazard group 1 or 2 as classified by the Advisory Committee on Dangerous Pathogens (ACDP). The handling and disposal of PT specimens should be exactly the same as for routine clinical samples in respect of current COSHH, safe working practices and safe disposal procedures.

Stability is an important part of the design and feasibility process for a PT scheme. The test materials should be stable at the stated storage temperatures for at least the period of the Proficiency Test round. Any environmental factors encountered during transportation to the destination have also been considered. Studies have shown there is no significant difference between results of test materials tested the day after dispatch and those tested on the results entry deadline date.

It must be noted that it is not possible to verify the samples prior to issue using all test methods or kits. The test method used to verify samples is noted on the final reports. Different methods of testing may produce different results. Therefore it is important the QAU scheme organiser is informed of the analytical methods used by the participant.

Material used to make samples is mainly sourced from within the APHA. Some is obtained from various sources worldwide (including VETQAS customers). Most microbiological samples are made in the QA Unit.

Often +ve sera is in short supply. However, enough sera is usually supplied for the test to be performed at least twice. Volumes mostly range between 0.25ml to 1ml.

Feedback is welcomed for each PT Distribution issued and there is a section on each report form for comments. Alternatively, you can contact the QA Unit directly at any time at VETQAS@apha.gov.uk or complete one of our customer surveys.

Proficiency Testing Laboratory Information Management System. This is a system designed specifically for VETQAS®. It is used to administer all the contract and scheme details for all of our Proficiency Testing customers. It also processes submitted results and produces the tabulated reports.

To access the electronic reporting system you will need to use at least Internet Explorer 6, Safari 2, Firefox 2, Opera 9 or Google Chrome.

Click ‘User Manual’ at the top of any page after you have logged in. There is also a Help button at the top of each page.

We have a record of your login username so can send you a reminder. We do not have access to your login password. You can request a new password at any time by following these steps:

• Go to the Science Services log in page at https://science.vla.gov.uk/proficiencytesting
• Enter your login username.
• Click on Reset Password.

PT LIMS will automatically generate a new password for you and email it to the registered email address for your Lab ID.

Please follow the on-screen and email instructions carefully.

Check which email address is registered for your lab as this is where the new password email will be sent. Some filters recognise our automated emails as Junk mail or SPAM so check these folders in your mailbox. A message on screen will tell you if the website is temporarily unavailable in which case, please try again later. If you continue to have problems please contact our IT Unit at APHAServiceDesk@apha.gov.uk quoting your login username.

As a security measure PT LIMS will lock your account if an incorrect username and/or password is entered five times. Only the APHA IT Unit can un-lock your account. Ask them to unlock your account by emailing them at APHAServiceDesk@apha.gov.uk quoting your login username. Accounts are also locked when you cancel your contract. At the time of cancellation you will be asked to print off any results or reports you may need reference to in the future. We will not un-lock accounts for cancelled customers unless there are exceptional circumstances.

At the time of cancellation you will be asked to print off any results or reports you may need reference to in the future. We will not un-lock accounts for cancelled customers unless there are exceptional circumstances.

We recommend that the login username and password for your lab should be made available to several people within the same lab so that results can still be entered during the absence of the nominated person. The login details should be kept secure and confidential within your own lab.

Providing we receive permission from the participant/s we can add you as a ‘Viewer’ to your lab/s. You will receive your own login username and password to access the PT website and you will have read-only access to their results/reports.

All possible reasons should be evaluated to identify the root cause and to enable corrective action to be taken to prevent recurrence. Repeat test materials are usually available after each distribution, but it is most important to understand the reasons for the failure, document it and carry out corrective actions before repeating a test.

It is the participant’s responsibility to investigate any incorrect results and monitor their own performance over time. VETQAS does not police poor performance. However, we will where possible try to help with any queries you may have. Repeat samples are usually available to help with investigations or corrective actions implemented.

There are many reasons, including statistical chance. Potential causes may include analytical errors e.g. sample preparation, calibration or instrument problems, incomplete washing of plates, nucleic acid extraction, interference/matrix effects, sensitivity and specificity of diagnostic kits or reagents, test methods, or non-analytical problems e.g. operator, calculation, transcription, labelling errors, reporting format, units/values, transportation, incorrect storage of samples, failing to add the samples to the test system.

Failure to isolate, identify or misidentify the intended organism(s) may indicate poor handling technique or interpretation of results, inappropriate test methods. Media, antisera or ID kit batches (e.g. API kits) may be outside specified shelf life. Also check that the IQC results were within specification.

Go to the Science Services log in page. Enter the login username and password you were given when you joined. From the PT Home page select Enter Results. You can now see the Current Distribution page. If a distribution of any of the schemes you have joined has been issued it will be listed, showing the date issued and the results entry deadline date. Click on View next to the distribution you have results for and enter them in the appropriate boxes. There is a brief description of the format required next to each box. More details of the formats are available by clicking on the Help button at the top of the page. When you have entered all your results click on ‘Save’ at the bottom of the page. If necessary you can edit or enter additional results at any time up until the deadline date has passed. When the deadline date has passed the distribution will move to the Previous Distribution page where it will be read-only. Click on User Manual at the top of the page for more information.

If you have entered any results in an incorrect format the system will take you back to the top of the page, when you click Save, where a red warning message will tell you where results have been incorrectly entered. There will be a red exclamation mark next to the box that needs correcting. You will not be able to save the results until all errors have been corrected. Your results will not be saved if you exit the page before clicking on Save. To check if your results have been saved successfully – log out then log back in again. If you can see the results you entered when you click on View then the results have been successfully saved. If you are in any doubt please contact us and we will check the system for you.

As soon as we issue a distribution all participants are sent an automated email confirming that their samples have been issued. The issue date and the results entry deadline date will appear on your Current Distributions page on-line. The distribution paperwork that is sent with the samples states the results entry deadline date. If you need more advance notice of when a distribution is going to be issued you can find the month and week of issue on the price-list. A separate table that shows all the distribution dates for each month/week is sent to customers with their contract documents and is also available on request by emailing VETQAS@apha.gov.uk.

Contact us immediately when you realise that you will be unable to meet the deadline and explain why. In most cases we can extend a results entry deadline by a maximum of six days, but you must ask for the extension at least a few days before the original deadline date has expired.

Unfortunately no. Once the distribution results have been sent to the Test Commentator for evaluation and comments we are unable to add any late results. Even if your results are not included you will still receive the final report.

The meanings of these terms are:

W+ve = weak positive

+ve = positive

-ve = negative

IC = inconclusive

S+ve = strong positive

M+ve = medium positive

When the final tabulated report is available to view on-line an automated email will be sent to the registered email address of each participant in that distribution. This is approximately three weeks after the results entry deadline.

All reports will contain the intended results and most reports will show the results of all other participants in that distribution. Participants are only ever referred to by their Lab ID number to maintain confidentiality.

Repeat samples are available after the final report has been issued (unless in short supply) to allow laboratories to investigate causes of unsatisfactory performance. Normally there will be no charge for the samples but you will be invoiced for any courier costs involved, unless they can be sent with your next scheduled parcel.

he Quality Assurance Unit (VETQAS) operates a complaints procedure. Please direct any complaints or appeals to the Quality Assurance Unit (VETQAS) at VETQAS@apha.gov.uk

We can record up to three separate contact details for each customer if necessary. All three sets of details can be the same or all may be different.

Customer – the contact details of the person organising your proficiency testing.
Invoice – where you want us to send your invoice.
Participant – the PT samples will be posted to this address.

Please email above details to VETQAS@apha.gov.uk and full instructions will be provided.

A contract years starts on 1st April and ends on 31st March.

No, but some companies, institutions require us to quote a Purchase Order number on our invoices. Please check with your account department and, if they require a PO number on invoices, please add when ordering.

The Acknowledgement of Order together with the standard terms & conditions is your contract with VETQAS to provide you with proficiency testing services, which is emailed to your for a signature.

Online approval is your confirmation email after you have accespted our terms & conditions and ordered your PT Schemes through the online portal.

The sheet lists the PT schemes allocated to a Lab ID number and the contact details that will be used when shipping the samples. If you have more than one participant on your contract there will be a separate Participant Details sheet for each one.

For each customer we can record one set of contact details for each of the following –

Customer contact details – the name and address of the person responsible for your contract.
Invoice contact details – your invoice will be posted to this name and address.
Participant details – the PT samples will be sent to this name and address.

The primary participant is emailed the login username and password, and any automated notification emails about dispatch of samples or issuing of final reports.

The secondary participant is emailed any automated notification emails about dispatch of samples or issuing of final reports only.

Please use the online portal options to update your details or email us at Vetqas@apha.gov.uk.

Yes. please use the online portal to order your new scheme or email us at Vetqas@apha.gov.uk.

We email contract renewal notifications to all our existing customers by February for the next contract year starting in April.

If we have to withdraw a distribution we will usually re-schedule it for a later date. In the unusual circumstance that we cannot re-schedule we will issue a credit note on your APHA account to cover the cost of that distribution and any associated postage costs.

By returning a signed Acknowledgement of Order or accepting the standard terms & conditions when ordering online you are entering into an Agreement with the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), acting through the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA), for the Provision of PT services.

If you later decide to cancel your contract for any reason, or withdraw from a scheme, we will not issue a refund.

In the event of full contract cancellation your Science Services login account will be locked after seven days and you will no longer have access to results or tabulated reports. You should print off any results/reports that you may need to refer to in the future.

All financial enquiries are dealt with by our Finance Department. Please use the contact details on the invoice or email Income.aph@sscl.gse.gov.uk quoting the invoice number and your customer account number from your invoice.

You should receive your invoice by post within approximately six weeks of returning your signed Acknowledgement of Order. Invoices are issued by our Finance Department and the invoice contains full details of how to pay. Please do not arrange payment until you have received the invoice. You must quote your APHA customer number and the invoice number when making a payment so that the payment is correctly allocated to your account.

UK customers can pay by Visa, Mastercard or debit card, BACS payment or crossed cheque.

Non-UK customers can pay by Visa, Mastercard or Debit Card, a telegraphic bank transfer or a cheque or bankers draft issued on a UK Clearing Bank. All amounts quoted on our price list and on our invoices in UK pounds sterling (GBP£). Payment must be paid in GBP£. Unfortunately we are not able to accept foreign currency/EURO payments. All bank charges and expenses must be met by the company paying the invoice so that the payment we receive in the APHA bank account is the full amount on the invoice. Our full banking details are available below:

Account name: Animal and Plant Health Agency
Bank name: National Westminster Bank PLC
Bank address: Government Banking Service Branch, 2nd Floor, 280 Bishopsgate, London, EC2M 4RB
Bank sort code: 60-70-80
Bank account number: 10004718
Swift/BIC code: NWBKGB2L
IBAN: GB28NWBK60708010004718
VAT number: GB 888 8001 81

NOTE: For annual contract renewals – invoices will not be issued until after 01 April.

UK customers will have VAT added to their invoice unless they are Zero-rated or have provided an Exemption Certificate. VAT will not be added to invoices for non-UK customers as the provision of Proficiency Testing services to customers outside the UK is outside the scope of UK VAT. If you need us to quote your VAT number on your invoice please provide it when ordering.

There is a column on our price-list that indicates the overseas delivery method for each scheme. At the end of the price list you can find details of the current costs for courier delivery (C), courier delivery in a Biofreeze Bottle (B) and delivery on dry-ice (D). Parcels sent by courier are tracked and delivery is usually 2-3 days. Samples to UK customers are posted by Royal Mail.

The need for an Import Permit will vary depending on the type of samples and the Customs requirements of your country. We recommend you check with your local Customs office and follow their guidelines. If you do need an Import Permit it is your responsibility to make sure we have a valid copy of the permit several days before your samples are due to be shipped. You should also let us know if any additional documents are required to help the sample parcel clear through Customs as quickly as possible. VETQAS is not responsible for non-delivery of samples due to insufficient import/Customs documents being provided by the participant.

Please note that if we have been notified that a permit is required, but we do not receive it in time for the scheduled distribution date, the samples will not be shipped and there will be no refund.

As soon as we issue your samples you will receive an automated notification email. The email is sent to the address/es we have registered for the participant.

To avoid delaying the delivery of your parcel our couriers have been instructed to pay any local fees requested by Custom’s officers where possible. In some countries Customs will only accept payment of these fees by the consignee and they will use the telephone number on the parcel to make contact. If you receive a request for payment of fees from your local Customs office please pay them promptly so that your parcel can be released for delivery without delay. VETQAS is not able to refund any local Customs fees that you may have to pay.

Please email us quoting your QAL contract number and/or your Lab ID number and the name of the distribution you were expecting.

We will investigate the reason for the delay and we will extend the results entry deadline date as required.

Please email us immediately at Vetqas@apha.gov.uk so that we have time to arrange for a repeat set of samples to be issued.

We will need your QAL contract number and/or your laboratory ID number and the distribution number.

Please email us quoting your QAL contract number and/or your laboratory ID number and the name of the distribution you are expecting.

Non delivery of a parcel sent by courier is very unusual. In the unusual circumstances that this happens we will send you a repeat set of samples at no extra charge.