The Royal College of Physicians has commended UHL’s adult allergy service as a ‘national exemplar of good practice’, after it received reaccreditation under the Improving Quality in Allergy Services (IQAS) programme.
The IQAS programme works with allergy services across the UK to improve the quality of care. Meeting its standards requires a service to undergo a programme of quality improvement, before being assessed successfully against multiple standards. UHL was previously accredited in 2021, and has now been reaccredited under updated IQAS standards.
RCP’s Clinical Director for Patient Safety and Clinical Standards, Dr Zuzanna Sawicka, said: “IQAS accreditation is a highly sought-after mark of quality that isn’t easily won. It demands a genuine commitment to improvement and the confidence to be held to the highest standards. That’s what makes it such a meaningful signal to patients, commissioners and peers that a service is genuinely excellent.
“The adult allergy service at UHL was shown to be a well-led and effective service, which in many areas is a national exemplar of good practice.”
UHL’s adult allergy services are provided across each of the three hospital sites, offering care for a wide range of allergic conditions including asthma, rhinitis (hay fever), food allergies, anaphylaxis (severe allergic reaction), urticaria (hives) and angioedema (swelling).
In their report, assessors noted an ‘excellent’ team at UHL, with colleagues demonstrating ‘a passion for the service’ and with ‘overwhelmingly positive’ feedback received from patients.
The service was praised as being ‘led with vision’, with excellence in aspects including its training and teaching programmes, primary care education initiatives, and the contribution of pharmacy and administrative colleagues in supporting the clinical team.
UHL was previously accredited in 2021 and has now been reaccredited under updated IQAS standards.
Consultant Adult Allergist and UHL’s IQAS Lead, Dr Nasreen Khan, said: “We are extremely proud of our achievement in meeting the new IQAS standards. This success is entirely due to the hard work, dedication and commitment of the whole team.”