8 October 2020
IQIPS Standard v2:2020 has been published. This new standard will replace IQIPS Standard v1:2012 – Improving Quality in Physiological Services.
Training relating to the revised standard and transition process will be delivered to customers and assessors through live webinars in the latter quarter of 2020 and a further technical bulletin will be issued to explain the transition process in more detail.
IQIPS standard revision background
The IQIPS scheme was developed by the Royal College of Physicians in collaboration with UKAS in 2012 and is the only nationally recognised accreditation scheme available for physiological science services in the UK; with a patient-focussed assessment and accreditation programme; aimed at both the NHS and independent sector.
It is a requirement that accreditation standards should be reviewed every 4-5 years and so the Accreditation Clinical Advisory Group have been working since 2018 on revising version 1 of the standard. They are pleased to now publish IQIPS standard v2:2020 which is now available on the UKAS website.
The objectives in line with the requirements for the revision timeframe were determined with the key drivers being; to align the structure and content of the standard to reflect international standards predominantly ISO15189, reduce duplication, ensure focus of the Quality Management System (QMS) and audit processes, consolidate and define leadership, management and governance whilst ultimately ensuring the standard remains clear and fit for purpose across all disciplines. The outcome being one standard rather than separate standards across each discipline without losing the specialism specific requirements.
Changes to the standard
The main changes from the 2012 version are:
- There are now 5 domains with the addition of the leadership and management domain. This consolidates the roles and responsibilities, governance and tightens up of audit, QMS and non-conformity management.
- There is a reduction in duplication across the standard.
- There is a defined focus on the QMS and in particular the need for services to have a quality manual.
- The revised standard is now generic for all disciplines and can be applicable to other healthcare areas if deemed appropriate in the future.
- Awareness of measurements of uncertainty for accredited activities. This is where you need to understand what affect steps in the process/procedure have on the final reported result and what does that mean for the patient?
- Assurance of traceability of equipment which relates a measurement result to a stated metrological reference through an unbroken chain of calibration comparisons, each of which may contribute a stated level of uncertainty to the final test result.
What is expected of you right now?
Any new customer considering formal application for accreditation to the IQIPS standard can continue to apply as normal. Your Assessment Manager will discuss your requirements after application and at pre-assessment to evaluate if your service is working towards accreditation for the current or revised standard. In either event, applicants should start to perform a gap analysis against the revised standard to determine current conformity and actions required as after April 2021, all assessments will be to the new IQIPS Standard v2:2020.
For all accredited customers following publication of the revised standard there will be a timeframe of a year to allow you to perform gap analysis to gain assurance of conformity to the revised standard. Customers will be invited to attend some live webinar training sessions later in 2020 to provide information on the changes in the standard and provide guidance for meeting key requirements. Your Assessment Manager will contact you to discuss the timeframe for your transition assessment.
Should you require any clarification to the above please contact either:
Laura Booth (Senior Assessment Manager, Healthcare) – [email protected]
Al Bryant (Accreditation Specialist – Healthcare) [email protected]
Please click here to download a pdf copy of this Technical Bulletin.