The Royal College of Physicians’ (RCP) accreditation unit is pleased to announce the launch of the Improving Quality in Allergy Services (IQAS) accreditation scheme - the new clinical service accreditation scheme for adult allergy services in the UK.
The IQAS scheme provides allergy services with a robust quality assurance process and a supportive quality improvement pathway, as recommended in Allergy services: still not meeting the unmet need. The scheme is underpinned by the recently published IQAS standards.
Dr Thirumala Krishna, IQAS clinical lead and consultant allergist and immunologist, said:
The IQAS accreditation scheme is an important driver of quality improvement for allergy services in the UK. Today’s launch of the first ever allergy accreditation scheme is a huge milestone for our specialty to help standardise allergy services and provide high quality care for our patients. The IQAS accreditation scheme will drive improvements in patient care through rigorous assessment and in turn, improve allergy services. We encourage all allergy services to register and work towards gaining accreditation, and we hope the first service will be accredited in the New Year.
The scheme is now open for registration and the RCP encourages all adult allergy services to sign up and work towards achieving the IQAS standards. Full details of the IQAS accreditation scheme can be found at: www.iqas.org.uk, where services can also register.
The RCP accreditation unit recently launched an accreditation scheme for immunology centres, Quality in Primary Immunodeficiency Services (QPIDS) on 19 November 2015. Centres involved with allergy and primary immunodeficiency services are encouraged to seek accreditation in partnership with QPIDS.
Accreditation is a professionally-led and supportive process involving self-assessment, quality improvement and external peer assessment of clinical services against quality standards. The RCP’s accreditation unit has a strong track record in improving the quality and safety of patient healthcare. It hosts several accreditation schemes, including the Joint Advisory Group (JAG) on gastrointestinal endoscopy, Safe Effective Quality Occupational Health Service (SEQOHS), Improving Quality in Physiological diagnostic Services (IQIPS) and Quality in Primary Immunodeficiency Services (QPIDS).