Specialty-specific guidance

The development of guidance is a key function of the College to support good practice and service provision. Guidance documents that have been developed specifically for a particular specialty are listed below. 

If you cannot see a College document, it might be archived or withdrawn or listed under cross-specialty guidance

Confidential documents or those still in the consultation stage are on the Consultation listings page and require members to log in.

 

The College is currently undertaking a large programme to update the autopsy scenarios originally published as guidance in 2005. The newly published/updated scenarios are listed on the Autopsy guidelines page.

 

Cytopathology

G089 Guidance on the reporting of thyroid cytology specimens

The role of biomedical scientists within the provision of a diagnostic cytopathology service

G121 BPR Clinical responsibility for cytology services

 

Forensic pathology

RCPath-FSR Guidance on the use of excited delirium as a cause of death.pdf

 

Genetics

Genetic testing in childhood

Ethical issues in prenatal genetic diagnosis

Consent and confidentiality in genomic medicine, 3rd edition

 

Histocompatibility and immunogenetics

Recommendations for the determination of measurement uncertainty for assays performed in the H&I laboratory

 

Histopathology/cellular pathology

G053 BPR Reporting ophthalmic pathology specimens

G017 BPR Reporting cellular pathology samples at home

BAGP BGCS RCPath NICE Mismatch repair proposed pathway

On 28 October 2020, NICE published a diagnostics guidance document DG42: Testing strategies for Lynch syndrome in people with endometrial cancer, which states testing for Lynch syndrome should be offered when a person is diagnosed with endometrial cancer. This puts cellular pathology departments in the primary position of response when a diagnosis of endometrial cancer is made. Robust arrangements for communications with treating clinicians, genomic laboratory hubs and clinical geneticists are required.

The British Association of Gynaecological Pathologists, in association with the British Gynaecological Cancer Society and the Royal College of Pathologists, has produced a flowchart of the proposed pathway, followed by a synopsis of the terminology for reports.

Members only

G180 Draft BPR Pathologists participating in remote reporting of histopathology or cytopathology

Clarification of the use of guidelines on staffing and workload limiting the workload of pathologists

Best practice recommendations for implementing digital pathology

G153 BPR Principles and guidance for interpretive external quality assessment schemes in laboratory medicine

Recommendations for work space for consultant and associate specialist cellular pathologists

Guidelines on staffing and workload for histopathology and cytopathology departments, 4th edition

An approach to the assessment of uncertainty of measurement for cellular pathology laboratories

 

Medical microbiology and medical virology

Best Practice Standards for the delivery of NHS infection services in the UK

Prepared by the British Infection Association Clinical Services Committee in conjunction with the Royal College of Physicians Infectious Diseases Joint Specialist Committee and the Royal College of Pathologists' Specialty Advisory Committee.

Neuropathology

G188 Guidelines on autopsy practice: Traumatic brain injury

The British Neuropathology Society, Professional Affairs Committee - Adult neurooncological pathology (diagnosis of tumours of the central nervous system with histological and molecular methods)

RCPath-British Neuropathological Society Neuromuscular pathology service specification

This document was prepared by Dr M Hofer on behalf of the British Neuropathological Society and approved for cobadging by RCPath in April 2022.

G140a BPR Staffing and workload for neuropathology departments (under review)

G140b Diagnostic neuropathology workload toolkit

Post-mortem examination in dementia

Neuropathology autopsy practice: Post-mortem examination in cerebrovascular disease (stroke)

Veterinary pathology

An audit of the post-mortem examination of animals having received chemotherapeutic or radioactive agents

G185 BPR For veterinary surgeons seeking pathology expertise

G192 Post-mortem examination of animals having received chemotherapeutic or radioactive agents

G184 BPR Storage and retention of animal tissues and records