All specimens must be labelled according to the pathology labelling standards. Specimens that are not fully labelled will not be reported. Please download the relevant file:
Pathology Labelling Standards Document
If the labelling of a request form or specimen does not meet minimum labelling standards, and it is not possible to provide a repeat specimen, the requesting clinician will be asked to sign a declaration form. This form details the labelling deficiencies and places responsibility upon the clinician for clinical decisions based upon the results.
High Risk Specimens
To comply with national Health and Safety guidance and to alert laboratory staff that a specimen may require processing differently, some specimens must be labelled as ‘High Risk’ (Danger of Infection).
Clinical judgement must be used to label specimens correctly, and the onus for this is on the requestor.
Specimens from the following require “Danger of Infection” labelling:
- Patients with proven infection with a Hazard Group 3 (HG3) pathogen eg: hepatitis B and C, HIV, tuberculosis and other mycobacteria, typhoid, brucella and anthrax
- Patients suspected of having a HG3 pathogen (information from clinical history and examination e.g. injecting drug user, haemophiliac, vCJD)
- Patients who are a part of an ongoing outbreak caused by a HG3 pathogen.
- Inmates of Her Majesties’ Prisons
Important Warning
On no account should specimens be taken from patients suspected of having any pathogen in Hazard Group 4, e.g. viral haemorrhagic fever (Lassa, Marburg, Ebola and Congo-Crimean), or Hendra or Nipah viruses without prior consultation with the on-call medical microbiologist / virologist.
Handling “Danger of Infection” Specimens
- “Danger of Infection” labels should have black print on a yellow background, and should be self-adhesive.
- A label must be placed on the high-risk specimen container and its request form, which must give sufficient clinical information to enable the receiving laboratory staff to know what special precautions are necessary in the laboratory. The request form may be folded so that the information need not be conspicuous to other people, but the “Danger of Infection” label must be clearly visible.
- The specimen container must be placed in an individual transparent plastic bag, which should then be sealed. High Risk specimens must not be transported to the laboratory via the air tube.
Further information is available from our Leeds Health Pathways Website:
The Infection Prevention and Control Policy