Regional Microbiology Network

The Regional Microbiology Network (RMN) was established as a separate Division of the Health Protection Agency in April 2006. The Regional Microbiology Network is composed of eight Regional Microbiology Laboratories. In addition, thirty seven hospital microbiology laboratories participate as HPA Collaborating Laboratories. Together, these Laboratories provide frontline diagnostic and public health microbiology services to NHS Trusts and HPA Health Protection Units.

There are twenty-six Food, Water and Environmental (FW&E) Laboratories, nine of which are directly managed by the Agency, and seventeen are located in Collaborating Laboratories in NHS Trusts.

HPA Regional Laboratories include some of the largest medical microbiology laboratories in England . They are generally based in large teaching hospital Trusts where there are specialist clinical departments ( eg transplantation, neurology, oncology, infectious diseases) which require specialist microbiology support. The HPA Regional Laboratories provide a clinical diagnostic microbiology service to the Trust as well as microbiology services for health protection purposes. In all cases these services include expert advice and surge capacity as well as laboratory analysis.

HPA Regional Laboratories provide the following functions:

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

Last reviewed: 2 May 2008

• Food, Water and Environmental Microbiology Laboratories
  

• Regional Microbiology Network Contacts
  Added/updated: 10 January 2008
  
• Regional Microbiology Network structure
  Added/updated: 10 January 2008