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UKAS has developed a suite of Readiness Assessment tools, designed to support Conformity Assessment Bodies (CABs) operating across a range of sectors on their journey to achieving UKAS accreditation.
The free tools allow organisations to complete an online self-assessment against criteria based upon the relevant international standards used for the purposes of accreditation. The new tools are available to prospective customers free of charge through the relevant “accreditation standards” sections of the UKAS website, for example via the laboratory accreditation and medical laboratory accreditation pages.
In 2021 UKAS developed the first of our Readiness Assessment tools for organisations considering embarking on accreditation for ISO/IEC 17025 (testing and calibration.) This has been invaluable for laboratories in establishing their readiness to apply for accreditation, and in identifying any gaps that may need to be addressed prior to their initial assessment.
Following the success of this tool, UKAS has recently developed a readiness assessment for medical laboratories considering application for ISO 15189 accreditation, enabling self-assessment against criteria based on the ISO 15189:2022 standard.
Over the coming weeks UKAS will be launching further tools for:
- ISO/IEC 17020 (inspection bodies)
- ISO/IEC 17021-1 (management system certification bodies)
- ISO/IEC 17065 (product/process/service certification bodies)
- IQIPS for physiological services
- Requirements for imaging services
Customers wishing to use the Readiness Assessment tools do not need to complete all the information in one sitting but can save and return to it over time. Use of these tools is managed through the UKAS sales team who are on hand to support with any queries as CABs progress through their online self-assessments. All tools have been developed with input from UKAS’s Technical Focus leads for each standard, ensuring each one is suitably robust in approach.
You can access the Readiness Assessment tools for ISO/IEC 17025 and ISO 15189 on the UKAS website. Additional tools will be added to the website as they become available in the coming weeks.