Importance of staff job satisfaction in provision of a high quality microbiology service

The practice of quality assurance is a vital aspect of clinical laboratory work. Much effort has been rightly put in to setting up and running external quality assurance programmes, internal quality assurance and control, gaining accreditation with Clinical Pathology Accreditation (UK) Ltd (CPA) and undertaking clinical audit. The contribution that biomedical scientists can make at all levels to quality assurance is very important, because a good pathology service depends on teamwork. The attitude of each individual member of staff can therefore affect the quality the of a laboratory's output.