The RCP is pleased to award its first Improving Quality in Allergy Services (IQAS) accreditation to Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust.
Launched by the RCP in November 2015, IQAS aims to improve the quality and outcomes of clinical allergy services through the achievement of best practice standards.
Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust was awarded accreditation following stringent assessment of its facilities, staff and working practices, to evidence its commitment to the delivery of high-quality patient care.
Dr Thirumala Krishna, clinical lead for the IQAS scheme and clinical lead for the West Midlands Allergy Centre at Heart of England, said:
I am delighted that the first allergy service has achieved IQAS accreditation following a stringent independent assessment by a very experienced team, and am pleased that it has been my centre to do this.
It is a great opportunity for NHS services across the UK to work towards an equitable and standardised care for patients with allergic disorders, and I strongly encourage other allergy services to put themselves forward for accreditation.
Dr Aarnoud Huissoon, head of allergy and immunology for West Midlands at Heart of England, said:
We are thrilled to be the first IQAS accredited service, and that the West Midlands Allergy Centre has been recognised as providing an effective and patient-centred service.
This is a deserved acknowledgement of the hard work that the allergy team has done to meet the IQAS standards.
The whole accreditation process really helped us focus on how to make our service work for patients, and the assessment team provided helpful recommendations for further improvements that we can make.
Assessment team
The RCP wishes to thank the team which assessed Heart of England:
- Dr Hasan Arshad, professor of allergy and clinical immunology at the University of Southampton
- Dr Claire Bethune, consultant immunologist and clinical lead at Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust
- Sister Fran Ashworth, allergy and immunology nurse specialist at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
- Ms Carla Jones, chief executive for Allergy UK, who acted as lay assessor.
Contact
For more information about the IQAS scheme, its standards and the accreditation process, please visit the IQAS website.
Follow @RCPLondon on Twitter to hear more about how the RCP supports service accreditation and quality improvement.
