Why participate
Accreditation provides independent and impartial recognition that a service demonstrates high levels of quality. Accreditation provides a sense of pride for immunology services in being able to show that it offers a well-led, patient-centred and safe service. Accredited departments can also be more attractive to potential employees and trainees.
A number of the accreditation programmes managed by the Royal College of Physicians are supported by the Care Quality Commission (CQC). Professor Ted Baker, CQC’s Chief Inspector of Hospitals, says ‘participation in approved accreditation schemes … is an important way that providers can demonstrate they have robust processes for learning, continuous improvement and innovation and is something we consider in our assessments of independent and NHS providers’.