Australia National Pathology Standards (First Edition 2027)
Standard 3: Pathology test supervision – Australia National Pathology Standards (First Edition 2027)
Australia National Pathology Standards (First Edition 2027) 3.01: Supervision requirements: ensure the workforce delegated to supervise pathology tests understand their responsibilities and are trained for them, support requesters with enquiries, test selection and result interpretation, manage the performance, development and education of the workforce they supervise, oversee incident management, identify and manage risk, manage internal and external quality assurance and internal quality control, manage feedback and complaints, manage equipment and medical devices across their lifecycle, and take part in auditing supervision effectiveness
What does 3.01 require?
Holding a delegation to supervise tests brings a defined set of duties, and training to match. The supervisor fields requesters' questions, helps them choose tests and reads results with them; looks after how the staff running those tests perform, develop and learn; oversees incident handling; finds and manages risk; runs the external quality assurance and the internal quality assurance programs, reviews them, and keeps the internal quality control in order; handles feedback and complaints; manages equipment and devices from selection through implementation, use, review and maintenance; and joins the audit of whether supervision is working.
This control maps to 1 controls across 1 other frameworks. If you already hold one of them, the evidence you collected for it is the starting point here rather than new work.
1.23-1.26 Scope of clinical practice is defined, monitored and reviewed, clinicians are credentialed where relevant with the process monitored and improved, safety and quality roles are assigned and supported including for locums and agency staff, and clinicians are supervised with after-hours advice available