Press release: NHS Tayside earns Scotland’s first UKAS accreditation for paediatric audiology (IQIPS)

The United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) has granted Scotland’s first accreditation against the Improving Quality In Physiological Services (IQIPS) standard.  The award was made to the Audiology Department at NHS Tayside and covers both adult and paediatric audiology services delivered at four hospitals in Dundee, Perth and Brechin.

Jointly launched by The Royal College of Physicians and UKAS in 2012, IQIPS is a professionally-led accreditation scheme, designed to improve the quality of care, safety and service for patients undergoing physiological tests, examinations and procedures.  In addition to Audiology, the IQIPS programme encompasses Cardiac Science, Clinical Neurophysiology, Gastrointestinal Physiology, Ophthalmic & Vision Science, Respiratory & Sleep Physiology, Urodynamics and Vascular Science.

UKAS accreditation is recognised throughout the healthcare sector as providing an important and impartial evaluation of the quality of care that patients receive.  On receiving the award, Laura Turton, Audiology Head of Service at NHS Tayside said:

“Achieving IQIPS accreditation has been years in the making, and we are proud to say that we are the only department in Scotland to have obtained this level of recognition. It is down to the dedication of the entire team as we wanted to evidence our commitment to quality for our patients.”

Congratulating NHS Tayside on its achievement Laura Booth, Operations Accreditation Specialist for Healthcare supported by Melissa McDermott the Technical Focus Person for IQIPS at UKAS said:

“The purpose of the IQIPS standard is to ensure that healthcare providers deliver physiological services that are accurate, effective, safe, efficient, responsive, accessible and sustainable.  Achieving UKAS IQIPS accreditation highlights NHS Tayside Audiology’s dedication to continuous improvement and ensuring the highest standards in physiological services.  This is a significant milestone in demonstrating its commitment to delivering high-quality, patient-centred care.”

Accreditation for IQIPS is assessed against standards which address five quality domains of Patient Experience, Clinical, Safety, Facilities, Resources and Workforce, and Leadership and Management.  Currently, around 70 health care providers across the UK are accredited under the IQIPS programme, with over 100 differing disciplines participating in the scheme, improving the quality of physiology services for hundreds of thousands of patients each year

ENDS

For further media information please contact:

UKAS: Phil Russell @ Clear PR, E: [email protected] , T: 020 7689 5155

About IQIPS

Jointly launched by UKAS and The Royal College of Physicians in 2012, the IQIPS programme has been solely managed and run by UKAS since April 2017.  The IQIPS standard itself continues to be developed by the professional bodies that represent the eight physiology disciplines as part of the Accreditation Clinical Advisory Group (ACAG).  Updated versions of the IQIPS standard were published in 2020 and 2023, which included revisions that better maps IQIPS to other medical standards covering medical laboratories (ISO 15189), medical physics and clinical engineering (BS 70000) and diagnostic imaging, as well as CQC Key Lines of Enquiry.

About UKAS

The United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) is the national accreditation body for the UK.  It is appointed by (but operates independently of) government through a memorandum of understanding between UKAS and the Department for Business and Trade (DBT).  UKAS’s role is to assess the technical competence and impartiality of organisations that provide certification, inspection, testing, calibration, validation and verification services (collectively known as conformity assessment services) against the requirements of nationally and internationally agreed standards.  UKAS is not a regulating, policing, monitoring or standards-defining body.  www.ukas.com

About NHS Tayside

Tayside Health Board was established in April 1974 and is responsible for commissioning health care services for the residents in the geographical local government areas of Angus, Dundee and Perth and Kinross.  NHS Tayside’s governance includes 3 major and a number of community hospitals, including the University of Dundee’s Medical School attached to the regions flagship institute, Ninewells Hospital in Dundee.  It also includes over 60 GP surgeries and a variety of health centres staffed by thousands of employees of the health region.  NHS Tayside audiology services diagnose, manage and treat ear related disorders such as hearing loss, tinnitus and vestibular problems with the latest NHS hearing aids, implantable devices and innovative treatments.