Clinical and Public Health Laboratory Network

Health Protection Agency lead clinical and public health microbiology laboratories include some of the largest medical microbiology laboratories in England. They are generally based in large teaching hospital trusts where specialist clinical departments (such as transplantation, neurology, oncology, infectious diseases) require specialist microbiology support.

The laboratories provide a clinical and public health diagnostic microbiology service to the host trust as well as microbiology services for health protection purposes. In all cases these services include laboratory analysis, expert advice and surge capacity.

Health Protection Agency lead clinical and public health laboratories provide the following functions:

• specialist advice and support, particularly for the investigation of outbreaks and incidents.
• specialist referred tests: tests not performed in all laboratories, but which do not necessarily have to be sent to a Reference Laboratory (such as viral culture, other virology, mycology and serology tests, particularly if low volume)
• molecular diagnostic tests that are not widely available in laboratories, such as nucleic acid amplification tests for HIV and Hepatitis C.
• emergency response to bioterrorist incidents and serious epidemics (such as SARS and H5N1 influenza)
• additional work (identification or typing) where not done by a reference laboratory

Some regional laboratories also provide food, water and environmental microbiology services.

Since the 1st April 2011 the HPA has launched a strengthened laboratory network which comprises of eight regional laboratories supported by a small number of collaborating centres. This change reflects a signficant   reduction in the number of collaborating centres/laboratories providing HPA services,  so please check with your regional laboratory if you are unsure where to send samples.

The lead laboratories serve as hubs for local stakeholders, customers and clients.