Haematology

Haemoglobinopathy Testing

The haematology department offers both screening and confirmation for both qualitative and quantitative haemoglobin defects with the service being centralised at the hub site. The BCPS utilised TOSOH G11 analysers for the screen and Sebia Cap 3 for confirming haemoglobinopathy variants. The laboratory processes approximately 200 samples per day. The laboratory processes haemoglobinopathy samples from the surrounding high prevalence areas for the antenatal screening programme with approximately 27,000 samples processed per annum. The service also provides a referral service, offering confirmation testing to those laboratories in low prevalence areas who only utilise a single screening methodology.

Patient information leaflets:

For further information about referring a sample to the service for haemoglobinopathy confirmation, please contact: rwh-tr.hbop@nhs.net.

Family Origin Questionnaire Information

The FOQ is mandatory for all antenatal booking blood requests submitted in both high prevalence (HP) and low prevalence (LP) trusts.

All family origin categories and sub-categories are mandatory fields for electronic FOQs (e-FOQs). These categories:

  • Help midwives to provide accurate information on family origins.
  • Provide laboratory teams with information they need to follow the antenatal screening algorithm and report results accurately.
  • Help identify groups at high risk of alpha zero thalassaemia.

Instructions for completion of antenatal screening request for Haemoglobinopathy including the FOQ for sites which request tests on ICE:

  • Log onto ICE
  • Search ‘antenatal’
  • Select ‘Antenatal Screening’
  • Question to give/decline HIV consent appears? Answer Yes/No
  • Question to give/decline Haemoglobinopathy screening consent? Answer Yes/No
  • Question is there an FOQ? Answer Yes/No
    If answer Yes: complete FOQ for the Woman – select from drop down menu of ethnicity/country of origin. If unknown, adopted, IVF, from egg +/or sperm donor, or Bone marrow transplant recipient use code ‘H’. If the mother declines to answer, select ‘I’. If mother has multiple or complex ethnicities choose the ‘Other’ category and free-text in as much information as required. Include information on at least 2 generations (more if possible).
  • Then complete the FOQ for the biological father – select from drop down menu of ethnicity/country of origin. Again use ‘H’ if unknown or ‘I’ if declined to answer and the ‘Other’ category for multiple/complex ethnicities using free-text to include information on at least 2 generations (more if possible).
  • Question asks ‘Estimated Delivery Date? – select the date.
  • Question asks, ‘How many weeks pregnant (gestation period)’? – include the number of weeks.
  • To complete the request, click OK.