Please ensure safe disposal of materials used in the sample collection process as per HSE guidelines on waste management given in Waste Management Handbook 2014 (hse.ie)

We require at least two identifiers for every patient, both on the request form and on each sample tube. A minimum of the following are required: surname and given name, plus one of the following: Patient ID, date of birth, laboratory number. If these are not present, the samples cannot be processed.

• Check with the patient that s(he) has correctly followed any necessary preparation such as fasting.
• The patient should be resting, and seated or lying comfortably, ideally for 5 – 10 minutes before sample collection.
• The tourniquet or blood pressure cuff should be left tightened or inflated for as short a time as possible, ideally less than 30 seconds but certainly not more than 1 minute.
• If more than 1 type of sample tube is to be used, they should be collected in the following order:

1. Blood culture bottles.
2. Tubes without additives (yellow or red top) for serum.
3. Heparin tubes (green top).
4. EDTA tubes (purple top).
5. Coagulation tubes (light blue top). NB: these must be completely filled up the indicator line. Incompletely filled coagulation tubes will be rejected for analysis as they lead to incorrect results.
6. Oxalate/fluoride (light grey top) for glucose.

• Tubes with additives must be thoroughly mixed by GENTLY inverting (not shaking) the tubes 5 - 10 times each.
• Certain tests (such as dynamic function tests, very labile analytes) will have additional special procedures. Please see the Test Guide before collecting and processing samples for a given test or tests.

Centrifugation and sample separation from cells: general information.

• Serum (yellow or red top tubes) should be allowed to clot completely at room temperature before centrifugation: 30 – 60 minutes.

1. Centrifuge for 10 minutes at 1300 g in a swing-out rotor.
2. For tests stable at room temperature: serum in plain tubes (i.e.: still in contact with cells after centrifugation) must be transferred to a plain secondary tube without additives. Gel-separator tubes may be sent as is to the laboratory. NOTE: samples for therapeutic drug monitoring should ideally be taken into a plain tube without separator gel. Some drugs may adsorb to the gel in tubes from some manufacturers, giving inaccurate results.
3. For tests requiring refrigeration or freezing: transfer the serum to a plain secondary tube without additives or gel, then refrigerate or freeze as appropriate for the required test, for transport to the laboratory.

• Plasma: tubes with anticoagulants should be thoroughly mixed by gentle inversion 5 – 10 times immediately after sampling.

1. They must then be centrifuged for at least 15 minutes at 2 000 to 3000 g in a swing-out rotor to obtain a cell-free plasma.
2. After centrifugation, plasma must be removed from the cell pellet and transferred to a plain secondary tube which can then be refrigerated or frozen as required for transport to the laboratory.

Quantiferon TB Gold Plus Samples:

• Label tubes appropriately and ensure strictly 1 ml of blood is taken into each tube.
• Immediately after filling tubes, gently invert them 10 times to ensure the entire inner surface of the tube is coated with blood, to solubilise antigens on tube walls.
• Samples should be transferred to a 37°C incubator as soon as possible, and within 16 hours of collection.
• Prior to incubation, maintain the tubes at room temperature (22°C ± 5°C).
• Do not refrigerate or freeze the blood samples prior to incubation.
• Incubate the samples upright at 37°C for 16-24 hours.
• Following incubation, within 3 days, samples should be centrifuged for 15 minutes at 2000 to 3000 RCF (g).
• The gel plug will separate the cells from the plasma. If this does not occur, the tubes should be centrifuged again at a higher speed.
• Samples may remain at between 4-27°C prior to centrifugation within 3 days and 2-8°C post centrifugation.
• All quantiferon samples received in the laboratory should be accompanied by a request form and a Quantiferon TB Information Form (available here)

Random, untimed urine collections are usually taken for microbiological testing (culture and sensitivity). For most biochemical tests, timed samples (usually 24-hour) are required.

Random samples for microbiology should be collected into a sterile container. The hands must be thoroughly washed and dried before the sample is collected. The sample should be a mid-stream sample, and care should be taken that no part of the body touches the rim or interior of the container before, during or after collection. The lid should be securely fastened to the container immediately after collection.

TIMED SAMPLES: it is essential for interpretation of the results that the urine collection is accurately timed.  A timed collection is collected as follows:

1. The patient empties his or her bladder and discards this urine.
2. The time must be noted; this is the time of starting the collection.
3. ALL urine passed from now until the end of the collection period must be collected into the container.
4. In order to avoid injury from acid or other preservatives within the container, each sample of urine should be passed into another clean container, and then added to the collection container.
5. During the collection period, the collection container should be kept in a cool, dry place. A refrigerator at 4 to 8 °C is ideal.
6. Exactly X hours after the start time (noted as in 2. above; where X is the number of hours of the collection, usually 24) the patient empties his or her bladder and places this sample into the collection container.
7. The timed collection is now complete.

The sample requirements, including requirements for the patient to avoid certain foods and medications, vary from test to test. Please contact the laboratory for information and the appropriate container.

It is also essential that the correct preservative is placed into the collection container BEFORE the timed collection is started. Again, the preservatives vary from test to test. Please contact the laboratory for information and the appropriate container.

As some of these preservatives can be harmful (especially acids), the patient should, as mentioned above, first pass each voiding of his or her bladder into a separate, clean container, and then immediately transfer this sample into the timed collection container with preservative.

Click here for sample requirements and collection instructions for DOAHF Drug Analysis on Hair Follicle, referred to Labor Dessau Laboratory in Germany.

Please see the Test Guide at the top of this tab before collecting and processing samples for a given test or tests.

The solutions we offer include:

John joined Claymon Laboratories in 1997 and has overseen significant growth in the business, guiding it through many transitions: joining the internationally renowned Biomnis group in 2008; the acquisitions of Lablink in 2012 and MC Pathology in 2017 and most recently, the acquisition of Biomnis Ireland by Eurofins Scientific to become part of one of the largest network of laboratories in the world.

In his earlier career, as a Medical Scientist, John gained extensive experience in hospital medical laboratories in the UK and Ireland before subsequently moving into the commercial sector with sales, marketing and business development roles. Since 2010, John has been Managing Director of Eurofins Biomnis Irish operations and more recently has assumed responsibility for clinical diagnostics in the UK.

John holds a M.Sc. in Biomedical Science and is a Fellow of the Institute of Biomedical Sciences (FIBMS). He also holds a Barrister at Law degree and a Masters in Business from UCC/IMI.

Dr Louw is Medical Director and Consultant Chemical Pathologist for Eurofins Biomnis Ireland since September 2000.

He has been in private pathology practice in South Africa and Ireland since 1995 and has amassed an extensive knowledge bank on diagnostic tests, to share with Irish consultants, GP’s and healthcare professionals.

Over the years, Dr Louw has built relationships with peers and guided Eurofins Biomnis laboratory services on all clinical matters. He has a strong interest in quality assurance.

Dr Louw holds an MBChB and Fellowships of the College of Pathology in South Africa and the Faculty of Pathology of the RCPI in Ireland.

Bríd joined Claymon Laboratories in 1998 in the laboratory before moving to the Quality Department in 2000 and has remained with the company through a period of growth and innovation to become Quality Director.

In 1997, we were the first clinical laboratory to be accredited by the National Accreditation Board (now INAB) and under the guidance of Brid and her team, have continued to retain our accreditation each year and strive to further expand the scope of accredited tests and to achieve accreditation for Eurofins Pathology and more recently Eurofins Clinical Genetics.

In 2012 we achieved certification to the ISO9001 standard for our pathology transport company Eurofins Lablink.

Bríd oversees our laboratories' quality standards, document management and overall quality management system.

Bríd holds qualifications in Science, Quality Management, Health & Safety and Lean Systems.

Marie-Louise leads the Commercial and Client Services teams with a focus on delivering innovative diagnostic solutions to healthcare professionals across Ireland. Since joining the company in October 2021, she has been instrumental in advancing digital transformation initiatives, including the implementation of electronic ordering systems, development of online client resources and enhancement of client communications.

With over 17 years of experience supporting Irish hospitals, pharmaceutical companies, and life sciences organizations, Marie-Louise brings deep expertise in transitioning to advanced technologies that enable earlier detection of pathologies and improve patient outcomes. Her background spans Business Development, Sales, Clinical Diagnostics, Molecular Biology, and Biotechnology.

Marie-Louise holds a B.A. in Natural Sciences and a Ph.D. from Trinity College Dublin, as well as an M.Sc. in Genetics and Biotechnology from the University of Nottingham.

Helena joined the Biomnis Group in 2007 as a member of the Human Resource team and has remained with the company through a period of growth and innovation to become Head of the HR department supporting multiple Eurofins companies in Ireland.

Helena has proven success in navigating complex projects of change, from acquisitions to transfers and restructuring, as well as cross disciplinary function projects involving many departments such as HR, Finance, Data Protection and Operations. She has gained academic qualifications across many disciplines to fulfil this all-encompassing role.

Helena holds a Masters in Business from the University of Economics in Poznan, PGDip. in HR from the National College of Ireland, a HDip. in E-Learning and a Dip. in Employment Law, Management Accounting and Data Protection.

Paul joined Eurofins Biomnis in 2024 taking on the role of Operations Director, with extensive experience in various Operational Leadership roles across multiple industries including Pharma, Food, Biotechnology and Diagnostics.

Paul has experience in leading companies going through Organisational and Structural change.

He is a Qualified Master Black Belt and other academic credentials include B.Ag.Sc in Agricultural Science, a higher diploma in Pharmaceutical Technology and a M.Sc. in Science, Strategic Quality Management (Lean-Six Sigma & Quality Science).

Daire joined Eurofins Biomnis in March 2025 to lead the Finance team.

He brings valuable financial management experience from the Pharmaceutical & Retail sectors where he drove digital transformation and led systems integration projects to support expansion and growth.

Daire is a strong advocate for robust financial management controls, having implemented governance frameworks that support risk management, cost control, and performance tracking in existing and newly acquired companies.

Daire is an FCA qualified chartered accountant and hold a Degree in Economics and Finance.