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Accreditation & Quality

Using a laboratory whose testing is accredited by UKAS to ISO/IEC 17025:2005 is of paramount importance when hair drug and/or alcohol testing is required for care proceedings, as it will ensure that the results are legally defensible. Hair tests used in care proceedings, where there is a suspicion of parental drug and/or alcohol use, have a massive significance to the families and legal parties involved, and for this reason the quality of the testing is imperative.

The quality of laboratory testing in this field is measured against the international standard ISO/IEC 17025:2005, accredited and assessed by UKAS. Using a non-accredited laboratory service can leave the testing processes open to legal challenge. Concateno’s hair testing laboratory - where every TrichoTest® hair analysis is performed - is accredited to ISO/IEC 17025:2005 for the detection of over 50 drugs and metabolites in hair. View our schedule of accreditation at the UKAS website here.

• What is ISO/IEC 17025:2005?
• What is UKAS?
• Why is accreditation important?
• What types of accreditation are available?
• How can I check a laboratory meets the required standards?
• Do the courts keep a list of accredited laboratories?

What is ISO/IEC 17025:2005?

ISO/IEC 17025:2005 is an international quality standard that specifies the general requirements for competence to carry out laboratory tests and/or calibrations. Laboratories accredited to this standard are assessed through regular independent audits to demonstrate that they operate a management system, are technically competent and are able to generate technically valid results in performing the tests for which they are accredited.

What is UKAS?

The United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) is the only national accreditation organisation recognised by the UK Government. UKAS assess organisations and laboratories that provide certification, testing, inspection and calibration services against internationally recognised standards, and accredit them accordingly. UKAS is a member of the European co-operation for Accreditation (EA), the International Accreditation Forum (IAF) and the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC).

Why is accreditation important?

Accreditation ensures clients have robust, reliable and quality test results that are less open to legal challenge in court proceedings. Using a non-accredited laboratory service puts test results at risk as their methods will not have been subject to the same rigorous, internationally recognised and independently audited standards. Essentially, accreditation provides security and peace of mind to the clients, donors and families involved.

What types of accreditation are available?

To reach the international standard for drug testing, a laboratory’s processes and various other business processes (such as customer feedback and contracting) are subject to an annual audit to ISO/IEC 17025:2005 standards.

Many companies have certification to ISO 9001:2008 standards but it is important to note the difference. ISO 9001:2008 is a standard for internal quality management systems. Certification to this standard does not guarantee the technical competency to test for substance misuse, only that formal internal management systems are in place.

UKAS's own website emphasises that

“You can be confident in the technical competence and the results produced by testing and calibration laboratories if they hold UKAS accreditation to ISO/IEC 17025:2005. UKAS accredited certification of a supplier's management system to ISO 9001:2008 tells you that they have arrangements for managing the quality of their product or service, but does not say anything about their technical competence.”

“A laboratory certified to ISO 9001:2008:2000 but without ISO/IEC 17025:2005 should not be considered a suitable alternative. ”

Source: p. 6, Testing & Calibration – What to Look For, UKAS Delivering Confidence Brochure.
Available here.

How can I check a laboratory meets the required standards?

Laboratories accredited to ISO/IEC 17025:2005 will present the UKAS testing logo with their laboratory number below. Their schedule of accreditation (the analysis for which a laboratory is accredited to perform) can be viewed by entering their laboratory number at the UKAS laboratory search section of the UKAS website. Our laboratory number is 2212 and our schedule of accreditation is available on the UKAS website by clicking here.

Laboratories are also accredited for the analytical testing of each individual drug and metabolite in hair. Therefore, you may need to check a laboratory’s schedule of accreditation to confirm that it is accredited to detect the drugs and metabolites you require. Concateno’s hair testing laboratory is accredited to ISO/IEC 17025:2005 standards for the detection of over 50 drugs and metabolites in hair.

Do the courts keep a list of accredited laboratories?

Where there is a requirement for court-directed paternity testing, lawyers are only permitted to use laboratories registered on the Ministry of Justice list of laboratories accredited to ISO/IEC 17025:2005.

For hair testing, the Ministry of Justice does not currently retain a list of accredited laboratories, so it is important that the person requesting the test checks this themselves. To ensure that laboratory testing procedures are robust enough to stand up to challenges in court, it is important to use a laboratory accredited to ISO/IEC 17025:2005.

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