Cansford quality recognised

Drug and alcohol testing laboratory, Cansford Laboratories, has met the updated standards set by the LAB51 Publication to UKAS ISO17025: 2017. The new standard gives further reassurance to courts that the laboratory has rigorous processes in place and their test results will stand up to scrutiny if examined.

Cansford first became UKAS accredited in September 2012 and has since fulfilled the assessment criteria year on year. Today, Cansford is accredited for the widest range of drugs tested in-house in the UK. This year’s assessment has included the addition of UKAS’ LAB51 publication for laboratories, such as Cansford, which performs analysis of toxicology samples in the UK, setting a benchmark for consistency of approach across accredited labs.

LAB51 has been introduced in response to a review by UKAS into changes in the industry with particular reference to analysis methodology, concerns over industry data integrity and a rapidly changing environment due to technology advancements. It covers activities carried out by labs, such as Cansford, which test for drugs and drug metabolites in blood, urine, hair, oral fluids and other associated matrices for forensic, workplace, medical legal, or pathology (specialised toxicology) services.

Says Kim Bagley, MD of Cansford Laboratories, “The accreditation shows our processes are robust and would stand up in court if required. It is the only way a family law professional can be sure that all the correct processes have been follow. It also gives our clients reassurance that we have solid processes in place and shows our integrity as a testing laboratory.

“We welcome the addition of LAB51 and its customer-focussed requirements. It audits our quality controls and proficiency, to ensure our results are valid, which is essential for the work we carry out. Whilst it is not a legal requirement to be accredited, we take it extremely seriously and work exceptionally hard to ensure we comply with the high standards that UKAS demands. We view this as a measure of quality, and we wear our accreditation badge with great pride.” 

All assessments from September 1st 2021 incorporate appraisal against the expectations of LAB51.