The working group and programme management have developed the first regional reporting in NQAIS-Histopathology providing REOs with a consolidated view of performance across laboratories within each of their regions. This programme functionality, supported by the Faculty of Pathology, the office of the HSE Chief Clinical Officer, the National Cancer Control Programme Office and the clinical lead for the Laboratory Services Reform Programme, represents a significant enhancement in system wide oversight. The enhancement of regional reporting through NQAIS-Histopathology is strongly aligned with the priorities set out in the Laboratory Services Reform Programme Report, particularly in relation to strengthening governance, improving transparency, and enabling a more integrated, networked laboratory system.
Key Report Findings, 12th Annual National Data Report
The National Histopathology QI (NHQI) Programme’s 12th national data report showed a 3.2% rise in case volume, with 583,482cases processed, reflecting the growing diagnostic complexity and demand across laboratories. All sites combined exceeded targets for intradepartmental consultation (IDC), multidisciplinary team (MDT) agreement, and addendum reporting across histology, cytology, and autopsy cases. MDT data indicate that cancer resection (P03) case reviews remain significantly below target. Turnaround Time (TAT) performance continued to decline, particularly for surgical pathology categories such as small biopsy, GI endoscopic biopsy, cancer resection, and non-biopsy specimens. While some laboratories maintain strong performance, five-year trends show a national decline, most notably in histology. Frozen section (FS) concordance across general and cancer centres was marginally below the target of 97%. Autopsy data showed a 5% decrease in coroner and non-coroner/consented post-mortem cases compared to 2023. Although more cases were uploaded, fewer centres contributed data due to changes in service provision. A spotlight section was added this year to present findings on the newly introduced neuropathology cytology (P05) TAT target of 80% of cases completed in five days or less.
The full report will be available in November 2026. Some highlights include:
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21/21 public and voluntary hospitals, 7/8 private hospitals.
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Inclusion of data from the Office of the State Pathologist for the first time.
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First programme of its kind internationally.
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Workload in addition to 5 Key Quality Indicators reported on annually.
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National data processed in 2025 and reported by the NHQI Programme in 2026:
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Cases 590,622 (↑1.2% on 2024)
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IHC Stains 632,342 (↑5.5% on 2024)
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66 clinicians involved across the country (consultant histopathologists and medical lab scientists).
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13th annual national data report to be published in November 2026.