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<p>There is no NHS England national target set for when all services will be accredited,
as the process for achieving accreditation for an individual service can take a number
of years. NHS England recognises the United Kingdom Accreditation Service’s (UKAS)
Improving Quality in Physiological Services (IQIPS) scheme as the only recognised
accreditation standard for physiological science services. This includes audiology
services and provides not only independent and impartial assurance of safe, high-quality
services, but also the evidence needed for the Care Quality Commission’s regulatory
purposes. In August 2023, NHS England recommended that all integrated care boards
ensure that provider organisations work towards the UKAS IQIPS accreditation for paediatric
audiology.</p><p>NHS England has worked with the UKAS to implement an updated process
to support the early assessment of an individual site's readiness for achieving accreditation.
NHS England is also working alongside the UKAS to support and enable more sites to
successfully achieve accreditation. The 2024/25 National Health Service standard contract
now includes the recommendation that all providers of paediatric audiology should
work with their local commissioners to develop a Service Development Improvement Plan
that will address the areas of quality concern, to allow all paediatric audiology
services to move towards UKAS accreditation against the IQIPS standard.</p>
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