Location of Laboratory: The Ophthalmic Pathology Service is based at:
Royal Liverpool University Hospital
3rd Floor CSSB
Mount Vernon Street
Liverpool
L7 8YE
Laboratory opening hours: Monday to Friday: 09:00-17:30 excluding bank holidays
NON NHS Services
Dr Helen Kalirai
Senior Research Fellow Eye and Vision Services Institute of Life Course and Medical Sciences University of Liverpool
Email: helen.kalirai@liverpoolft.nhs.uk
Location of Laboratory: Liverpool Ocular Oncology Research Group
Eye and Vision Services
Institute of Life Course and Medical Sciences
3rd Floor, Willliam Henry Duncan Building
6 West Derby Street
Liverpool
L7 8TX
Laboratory opening hours: Monday to Friday: 09:00-17:00 according to univsersity term time, excluding bank holidays
Services offered by the laboratory:
NHS Services
Ophthalmic Pathology based in Cellular Pathology at Liverpool Clinical Laboratories is a nationally commissioned highly specialised service and forms part of the “National Specialist Ophthalmic Pathology Service” (NSOPS) network. It provides a diagnostic, molecular diagnostic and prognostic service to the nationally commissioned trust-based Ocular Oncology service and to St Pauls’ Eye Hospital, as well as to other clinicians and pathologists throughout the UK, Europe, and elsewhere.
The laboratory aims to provide a high quality and efficient service with provision of expertise in diagnosis using a range of techniques including histology, cytology and immunohistochemistry, as appropriate.
The department does not arrange or provide the following diagnostic laboratory services: microbiology, virology, immunology, biochemistry, immunofluorescence (including for Mucous Membrane Pemphigoid studies) or advice on control of infection; these must be sent to local centres.
The NSOPS team consists of two Consultant Histopathologists, a specialty Doctor, a Lead Biomedical Scientist, a specialist Biomedical scientist and a secretary in Ophthalmic Pathology.
The NHS department is fully accredited by UKAS in conformance with ISO 15189:2012 and has been recommended to transition to ISO 15189:2022. Our UKAS Medical Laboratory Reference Number is 7924.
Sample types and volumes: The service is happy to accept any appropriate ophthalmic specimens.
Turnaround times (TATs):
>70% of cases reported in 10 days of receipt of sample.
100% 1st stage slow Mohs cases reported prior to second stage.
Instructions for completion of request forms: refer to the Liverpool Clinical Laboratories Minimum Dataset Policy (MDS) for Laboratory Investigations for guidance. Link.
Availability of clinical advice when ordering examinations and on interpretation of examination results:
Technical advice can be obtained by contacting Naomi Kamanga on 0151 706 4509 or via email at: naomi.kamanga@liverpoolft.nhs.uk. However for technical advice for MLPA and MSA analyses please contact Dr Helen Kalirai via email: helen.kalirai@liverpoolft.nhs.uk
Lab criteria for accepting/rejecting samples: criteria for sample acceptance or rejection is outlined in the MDS Policy; please see this Policy document for advice. Link
Factors known to significantly affect performance of examination or interpretation of results:
Please click on following link for guidance: Link
Protection of personal information: the laboratory complies with the mandates set out in the Data Protection Act and Caldicott regulations. Trust and local policies are also in place to assure the protection of personal information.
Complaints procedure: if you wish to raise any concerns regarding the Ophthalmic Pathology service, please contact Naomi Kamanga on 0151 706 4509 or by e-mail at naomi.kamnaga@liverpoolft.nhs.uk
or alternatively concerns can be raised by contacting the Cellular Pathology Services Manager, James Wingfield via email james.wingfield@liverpoolft.nhs.uk, the Cellular Pathology Clinical Director
Dr Vijay Sharma via email at vijay.sharma@LiverpoolFT.nhs.uk or the Quality Practitioner Jane Harrison-Williams 0151 706 2000 ext 11093 or email jane.harrison-williams@LiverpoolFT.nhs.uk
Compliments: Our staff work hard to deliver a first-class service to our users and the receiving compliments about our work is positive and rewarding. If you feel we have delivered an outstanding service, please send your compliments to the contacts listed above.
Non NHS Services
Genetic testing of histologically confirmed choroidal melanoma to determine chromosomal aberrations present on chromosomes 1p, 3, 6, and 8 is available using a combination of Multiplex Ligation dependant Probe Amplification (MLPA) and micro-satellite (MSA) analyses for prognostication. These services are delivered by the Liverpool Ocular Oncology Research group/Eye and vision sciences.
Using neural networks, the Eye and vision science group has developed an on-line prognostic tool, LUMPO 3, which analyses all major risk factors and generates a personalised survival curve for individual patient management.
The research group (Liverpool Ocular Oncology Research Group (LOORG)) and is not seeking accreditation to the ISO 15189 scheme.
Sample types and volumes:
Requests for MLPA require fresh, snap frozen or FFPE uveal melanoma material with the corresponding H&E stained slide from the P0 block. This procedure requires at least 100ng DNA at a concentration of 20ng/µl.
MSA requires fresh, frozen or FFPE uveal melanoma material together with a matched whole blood sample (100µl). May-Grünwald Giemsa stained cytospin or other histological slide or copy of the corresponding pathology report. This procedure requires at least 20ng DNA.
Please click on following link for specimen-type guidance: Link
Turnaround times (TATs):
MLPA analysis: 20 working days.
MSA testing: 20 working days.
Patient consent: The laboratory assumes consent and complies with the Trusts Consent Policy which can be accessed via the link
Compliments: Our staff work hard to deliver a first-class service to our users and the receiving compliments about our work is positive and rewarding. If you feel we have delivered an outstanding service, please send your compliments to the contacts listed above.