Cytology laboratory services

Location

Pathology, Floor 5
Royal Derby Hospital
Uttoxeter Road
Derby
DE22 8NE

Contact us

Telephone: 01332 788 233

(If you are a patient, please contact your sample taker for advice / information)

Cytology opening times

Monday	8am - 5pm
Tuesday	8am - 5pm
Wednesday	8am - 5pm
Thursday	8am - 5pm
Friday	8am - 5pm

 

All enquiries should be made on 01332 788 233

This is an automated enquiry system and will direct you to the relevant individuals who can assist with clinical advice.

Cervical Cytology

Please use only the pre populated and printed HMR 101 form from the Open Exeter system. It is the responsibility of the sender to complete all sections of the form accurately and clearly.

If the cervical Screening Management System (CSMS) is unavailable a blank HMR101 request form is now available on the CSAS website under the guidance for sample takers tab.

Access NHS Cervical Screening Administration Service website for best practice guides for GPs and primary care (opens in new window) >

Request forms and samples from patients that present a risk of infection from blood born viruses should be clearly labelled with yellow 'risk of infection' stickers.

View information on Cervical screening: programme overview (opens in new window) >

Non-Gynae Cytology

Please use electronic requesting where possible or use a Histology (white) request form. Each specimen sent to the laboratory must be accompanied by the relevant request form.

Download Routine Histology Request Form [pdf] 100KB (opens in new window) >

It is vital that the form is completed legibly and as accurately and fully as possible. Failure to do so may lead to specimens being inappropriately dealt with or not being processed at all. Request forms and samples from patients that present a risk of infection from blood borne viruses should be clearly labelled with yellow ‘risk of Infection’ stickers.

What do you need to include

What needs to be included	What happens if not
A minimum of 3 patient identifiers.                                             Cervical Cytology samples. Non-gynae samples     .	Rejected sample A reject report will be sent and the sample must be repeated after 3 months. You will need to attend the lab to identify samples.
Clinician and location for report   Cervical Cytology - Sample taker code	Report not available Without the correct orginating source we can't allocate a destination for the report. In line with NHSCSP guidelines; any samples taken from 1 April 2019 onwards without a valid unique pin code on the request form, will be reported as inadequate if no abnormality is detected. The sample will then need to be repeated in no less than 3 months.
Complete forms fully and accurately	Rejected sample or compromised diagnosis Include as much patient information as possible. Failure to provide information may lead to unhelpful or inaccurate diagnosis.
Complete forms legibly	Sample incorrectly registered Illegible handwriting will not be interpreted. May result in errors or delays to results.
Indicate the appropriate tests if applicable. Use the correct carriers or sample bags.	Samples may not receive correct examination Sample may not reach the correct destination. May result in errors or delays to results.

Instructions for transportation of samples

Cervical Cytology

Transportation is via the pathology courier van system. 

Non-Gynae Cytology

All specimens must be sent to the laboratory immediately. If there is any delay please store the specimen in a fridge until it can be sent to the laboratory.

Haematological CSF samples must be received in the Cytology department before 4.00pm.

 

How to submit samples

Cervical Cytology

Samples that are taken outside of the screening programme, e.g. under 25 year olds or early attenders, will be rejected. The interpretation of results may be affected by the following:

• brush left in sample pot
• incorrect sampling device
• insufficient fluid in sample container
• leaking or damaged sample pots on receipt in the laboratory

Non-Gynae Cytology

If samples over 48 hours old have not been refrigerated, this may affect the interpretation of results. Inappropriate containers, leaking samples or damaged pots may also affect results.  

Turnaround times

Sample type	Typical sample procedure to result distribution TAT
Cervical Cytology	98% within 14 days
Non-gynae Cytology	90% within 10 working days**
CSF Cytology	90% within 5 working days**

*Please note: cases may take longer due to diagnostic complexity.
**Locally agreed TAT.

Occasionally non-gynae samples require tests not available within the Pathology department and will need to be sent to other specialist centres.

referral to other labs

Sample/Test	Referral Centre	Frequency of referral
Pancreatobiliary cytology samples	Histopathology department Nottingham University Hospitals City Campus Hucknall Road Nottingham NG5 1PB	When consultant availability at Derby is limited
Eye pathology samples	Sheffield Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust Opthalmic pathology Hisopathology E-Floor Royal Hallamshire Hospital Glossop Road S10 2JF	Always