Thoracic and Sleep Group (QLD) becomes the first to have a NATA accredited respiratory lab in Australia.

As of 2025, a new standard of care has been set for respiratory laboratories across Australia with the introduction of NATA accreditation requirements. This is exciting news as it elevates lung function testing expectations for medical staff, referring doctors and patients alike.

Importantly, this means the ISO 15189:2022 Standard for medical laboratories – requirements for quality and competence is now also applied to the respiratory field in line with multiple other disciplines including sleep, pathology and imaging to name a few.

Differences to expect as a patient:

1. Enhanced patient pathways that are continually monitored for performance
2. Quality testing that ensures global industry requirements are met
3. Reporting to your referring GP or specialist is accurate, timely and includes all necessary information for your follow up consultation

Benefit to referring doctors:

1. Reassurance in the accuracy of test results
2. Confidence that your patient will be looked after
3. Expectations for timely appointments and report turnaround times

What changes for TSGQ:

1. Strict maintenance of our service’s quality
2. Additional rigid requirements for Policy and Procedures
3. Enhanced training for scientific and administrative staff to ensure excellent patient experiences with the most accurate results

Thoracic and Sleep Group (QLD) is excited to have its respiratory unit “The Wesley Lung Function Lab” brought in alignment with its NATA accredited sleep service. It allows for greater cohesion within our service, benefiting our patients and referrers.

Mark Russell-Pavier (Senior Respiratory Scientist) and Nathan Dickinson (Respiratory Lab Manager) are stoked about the recent accreditation news and are proud to have developed the lab into a successful, high performing service that meets international standards as set by NATA.

The Wesley Lung Function Lab welcomes the new challenges this accreditation brings along with it as we continue to strive towards outstanding patient care.

For additional information on the importance of the accreditation and what this means for patient testing, visit the NATA website – https://nata.com.au/accreditation/

To hear what our Thoracic and Sleep Physician and Director of TSGQ, Dr Andrew Scott had to say about the news, visit – https://nata.com.au/news/thoracic-and-sleep-group-queensland-tsgq-becomes-the-first-laboratory-in-australia-accredited-to-the-recently-launched-tsanz-nata-respiratory-function-laboratory-accreditation-program/