Who manages pathology laboratories?

In 1974 the DHSS issued circular HSC(lS)16, Organisation of Scientific and Technical Services, which provided an operational framework for the reorganised NHS and took into account some of the recommendations of the Zuckerman Report.1 Since 1974 there has been growing concern about the inadequacy of HSC(lS)16, and a few laboratories have experienced difficulties in trying to operate an effective managerial structure.2 The development of scientific and technical services in the last decade may also have affected the validity of certain aspects of the Zuckerman Report. For these reasons the Secretary of State established a departmental review, which resulted in June 1978 in a report entitled: Scientific and Technical Services in the NHS. 3 With the report was the first draft of a new circular to give effect to the proposals of the report and to replace HSC(1S)16.4 The first published reactions to the circular and report make it clear that there are fundamental differences of principle in the approaches of the different professions to the problems.