AQMLM, founded in 2009, is a personal initiative of Dr Jonathan Middle, Dr Richard Daw and Alan Dench, arising out of their careers in specialist areas of quality management in laboratory medicine and as an extension to their development of the West Midlands Clinical Laboratory Quality Management Association.
Honorary President
Dr Michael Thomas BSc, PhD, MSc, FRCPath, EurClinChem, CSci
Chairman
Dr Jonathan Middle BA MA PhD ALCM
Directors
Dr Gwen Wark BSc PhD MSc FRCPath
Ms Paula Wilks
Miss Jane French
Mrs Julie Johnson
Mr Ramesh Ramnatsing
These individuals will direct AQMLM with the assistance of others co-opted from the membership who are strongly committed to the aims and objectives of AQMLM.
Past Honorary President:
Dr David Burnett OBE BSc PhD FRCPath
We are enormously grateful for David's support and encouragement during his time with us and wish him a very happy retrirement.
Past Founder Directors:
Dr Richard Daw BSc Phd FCQI CQP,
Mr Alan Dench C.Biol. M.I.Biol.,
Richard and Alan were founder members of AQMLM and helped ensure its success. Alan also served as Treasurer.
Biographies and personal statements
Honorary President : Dr Michael Thomas BSc, PhD, MSc, FRCPath, EurClinChem, CSci
Mike is the immediate Past President of the Association for Clinical Biochemistry and Laboratory Medicine, his two-year term having ended in April 2013. He has previously served the ACB as both Assistant Secretary and Secretary and was Chairman of the Local Organising Committee for Focus 2011 held at ExCel in London Docklands. He was elected Member at Large to the IFCC Executive Board in January 2006 and currently leads a Special Project tasked with developing quality competence in medical laboratories in emergent countries (DQCML). He is also a member of the IFCC Nominations Committee.
“Through the mutual support of its membership and its sharing of good practice, AQMLM will help in the continuous improvement of both analytical and process quality in the medical laboratory bringing greater benefit to patients. I am honoured to have been asked to succeed Dr David Burnett as the Association’s Honorary President and look forward to supporting the Association’s aims and ambitions in the future.”
Chairman : Dr Jonathan Middle BA MA PhD ALCM
Recently retired (2010) Consultant Clinical Scientist University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust, Organiser UK NEQAS for Steroid Hormones and UK NEQAS for Glycated Haemoglobins, Quality Manager for Birmingham Quality (UK NEQAS Birmingham); founder member and webmaster for the West Midlands Clinical Laboratory Quality Managers Association; Chairman (1998-2001) UK NEQAS Executive Committee; Chairman EQAS Participants Meeting Charity; past member IFCC Committee on Traceability; past member ACB National Audit Committee; past member CLIS sub-committee on evaluation of trueness and imprecision; past member JCTLM review team; recently retired ACB West Midlands Meetings Secretary. Jonathan began professional life as a research tumour immunologist, then moved into NHS clinical biochemistry in 1980. After seven years as a practising routine clinical biochemist, he became an EQA Organiser in 1987 and has been actively involved in this work at the highest level for over 20 years. Jonathan is passionate about accurate measurement and metrological traceability, and in the education of all laboratory professionals in quality matters. In 2012 he was elected Fellow of the ACB and in January 2014 listed by the Science Council as one of the top 100 UK practising scientists. He is currently a member of BSI CH 212 and Working Groups 1 & 2 of ISO TC 212. He is also a STEM Ambassador, going into Schools to help inspire young people to consider science as a career.
"Quality Management is not just about quality systems and CPA accreditation. In laboratory medicine there is a pre-eminent moral and professional imperative to produce accurate results which are comparable wherever they are produced. This objective has not been achieved in many analytical areas, and must be focussed on with equal vigour by all involved.
Directors
Dr Gwen Wark BSc PhD MSc FRCPath
After training as a grade A clinical biochemist at Guy's and St Thomas' Hospitals, Gwen was appointed in May 1999 as a senior clinical biochemist at the Royal Surrey County Hospital and promoted in 2005 from Principal to Consultant Clinical Scientist in Partnership Pathology services; a joint venture between the Royal Surrey County and Frimley Park Hospitals.
Gwen is Director of the Supra-Regional Assay Service (SAS) Peptide Hormone laboratory. Since 2002, she has been Scheme Organiser of the UK NEQAS Guildford Peptide Hormone Scheme and is actively promoting the development of reference methods/measurement systems for the hormones in the Scheme and educating others about the importance of accurate analytical measurements.
Miss Paula Wilks - details here soon
Miss Jane French - details here soon
Regional Representatives - elected by AQMLM Regional Groups with six or more paid up members
West Midlands :
Past Honorary President
Dr David Burnett OBE BSc PhD FRCPath
Consultant Clinical Biochemist in the NHS. Awarded the OBE for services to Clinical Biochemistry (1996), Fellow of the RCPath (1998) and Emeritus Member of the ACB (1999). Recent awards include the ‘The Westgard Quality Award 2007’ and the IFCC’s Henry Wishinsky Award for Distinguished International Service (2008). Involved in CPA(UK)Ltd since its inception and currently a member of the Standards, Training and Education. Member of BSI/TC212, leader of the British delegation to ISO/TC 212 and co-leader of the ISO 15189 revision group. Member of the Standards and Accreditation Group of the European Federation of Clinical Chemistry (EFCC). Visiting lecturer/workshop leader in Australia, Europe, the Americas, the Caribbean and Middle East. Author of ‘A Practical Guide to Accreditation in Laboratory Medicine'.
"Laboratory medicine in the NHS continues to face many new challenges, not least in the area of standards and accreditation and the establishment of ‘Quality standards’ – as set out in the Darzi and Carter reports. The importance of quality in the implementation of these reports is crucial, although sadly you will search in vain for recognition of the role of those who implement it. The formation of an ‘Association for Quality Management in Laboratory Medicine’, with its dual focus on analytical as well as process quality, is needed not only to offer opportunities for sharing experience and providing training and development, but also to raise the profile of this emerging speciality in laboratory medicine with Government. I am delighted to have been given the opportunity to support this exciting venture".
Past Founder Directors
Dr Richard Daw BSc PhD FCQI CQP
Recently retired as Pathology (Group) Quality Manager for the Pathology Laboratories in University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust. Chair of the West Midlands Clinical Laboratory Quality Managers Association, having been a founder member and Chairman from it’s inception. Richard joined the NHS in 1969 then moved to London and became a junior MLSO. In 1974 he started on the road that led to a degree in Biochemistry at Sussex, a PhD in Cardiff and a post-doctoral research post in Cambridge. He joined the West Midlands Blood Transfusion Service (later part of the NBS) to start up both quality management and research & development and became a Grade ‘C’ Clinical Scientist and honorary lecturer at Birmingham University. He joined the CDS Group (TelePath) eventually as Head of Project Management, then after a spell in Clinical Governance became Quality Manager at UHB. In 2006 Richard was awarded a Fellowship with the Institute of Quality Assurance, which, with the grant of a Royal Charter became the Chartered Quality Institute. Richard is also a Chartered Quality Professional.
"My particular interest is in process quality management. In a modern clinical laboratory environment evidence is key, evidence that you are doing a good job, and that you are engaging in quality improvement. Effective quality management supports the bottom line by aiding competitiveness and supports good clinical governance, not least because it covers your back. In this light quality managers are, I think, emerging as a professional laboratory grouping in their own right."
Mr Alan Dench C.Biol., M.I.Biol.
Alan has over 20 years experience in the pharmaceutical industry and NHS. Throughout his career he has developed expertise in the effective implementation and maintenance of quality systems within laboratories, clinics and manufacturing operations. As the former Quality Manager for the Regional Laboratory for Toxicology at City Hospital in Birmingham (2003-2008) he successfully managed the implementation and maintenance of the ISO17025 quality system standard, in addition to ensuring that the laboratory met its requirements to the CPA standard. His time is now divided between being Quality Manager for a medical device manufacturer, and providing independent quality management consultancy advice. He is also completing his MBA at Durham University.
"I am fully supportive of the aims and aspirations of AQMLM which will be an excellent training and networking opportunity for those responsible for the implementation and maintenance of quality systems. I particularly consider that the AQMLM aim of bringing together both analytical and process quality is a vital attribute as it is clear that both are essential for an effective quality system."