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UpdateUnited Kingdom Accreditation Service Newsletter Se
ptember 2010
Issue 58
EA enters into a formal partnershipwith the Commission
page 04
First accreditationfor certification ofalternative test kits
page 05
CQC – new system ofregistration for medicallaboratories
page 11
First accreditation for Digital Terrestrial TelevisionReceiver testingPage 02
02 Update September 2010 www.ukas.com
DTG Testing was founded bythe Digital Television Group,the industry association fordigital television in the UK,which represents broadcasters,consumer groups and manufacturers. The DigitalTelevision Group is responsiblefor controlling and maintainingthe specification for inter-operability requirements fordigital terrestrial television(DTT) within the UK, known asthe D-Book.
DTG Testing is the sole test service for
manufacturers of broadcast receivers
wishing to apply the Digital Tick and
Freeview marks to their equipment. The
Digital Tick mark was developed by the
UK government as part of the rollout of
the new DTT service in the UK and is
being implemented by Digital UK, the
body tasked with publicising and handling
the digital switchover across the country.
By proving the interoperability and
performance of receivers, manufacturers
are able to use the marks to show that
their products are capable of handling
the services provided by the new
broadcasts.
The laboratory provides testing on all
types of set top boxes and televisions,
with their current scope of accreditation
covering the requirements for receivers
using Digital Video Broadcasting-
Terrestrial (DVB-T) technology. The
schedule covers six major areas of testing
as detailed in the D Book: Service
information, Multimedia and Hypermedia
Experts Group (MHEG) interactivity,
Subtitling, Active Format Descriptions,
Time Exclusive Services and Receiver
Radio Frequency Performance testing
covering sensitivity, performance with
the presence of Additive White Gaussian
Noise, Co-channel interference, adjacent
and non-adjacent channel interference
from both Phase Alternate Line (PAL)
and DVB-T signals, and echoes due to
multipath signals. Requirements cover
both the 64 and 16 Quadrature
Amplitude Modulation (QAM) systems
First accreditation for Digital Terrestrial Television Receiver testingThe first accreditation to ISO/IEC 17025: 2005 for conformance testing ofdigital terrestrial television receivers has been granted to DTG Testing Ltd.
currently used and cover 2k and 8k
modes of Coded Orthogonal Frequency
Division Multiplexing (COFDM).
The laboratory set itself the goal of
gaining accreditation in the 2009-2010
financial year, which it achieved in spite
of the best efforts of one of the worst
winters in recent memory trying to
disrupt the initial assessment.
With the Digital Switchover well under
way, the Digital Tick and Freeview Marks
are now very much in the public eye.
For the providers of equipment and
services ensuring that receivers have all
the services and features that are
expected by the end user is key to the
success of the process.
The accreditation of DTG Testing
demonstrates its commitment to
provide an independent resource for
the testing of digital terrestrial television
receivers to the industry.
Health information standard
www.ukas.com Update September 2010 03
New Chair for Policy AdvisoryCommittee
UKAS has developed accreditation for certification to the new Department of HealthInformation Standard. The standard setsdown criteria for organisations providingwritten or scripted medical based patient information. Many different kinds of organisations produce health and social careinformation, for a wide range of communities.This standard has been developed to providereassurance that the health and social careinformation they access comes from a reliablesource. It has also been designed to raisethe general standard of information provided.
Once an organisation has been assessed andcertified against the Information Standard bya UKAS accredited certification body, the organisation will be able to display the Information Standard Quality Mark on theirinformation materials so people searchingfor health and social care information caneasily identify it as coming from a reliable,trustworthy source.
UKAS granted accreditation to five certification bodies under EN 45011: 1998for the Information Standard; EMQC Limited,G4S Assessment Services (UK) Ltd, KnightInternational Inspectorate, the Royal Societyfor Public Health and SGS United KingdomLimited.
The June meeting of the UKAS Policy Advisory Committee (PAC) saw the appointment of Dr Martin Jones as Chairfor the next three years. The appointment ofDr Jones, who has been CBI’s representativeon PAC for over twelve years, to serve a second term of office in this importantrole, was unanimously endorsed by theother PAC members.
The PAC is UKAS’ main stakeholder advisorygroup and is made up of a balanced representation of organisations with an interest in accreditation, including directcustomers, users of accredited services andgovernment departments and agencies.With the expansion of accreditation intonew areas of business, such as the healthsector, the PAC also agreed proposals toreplace the PAC from next year with a new,enlarged Policy Advisory Forum (PAF), inorder to ensure that UKAS receives stake-holder advice from across all aspects of itsbusiness. In accepting the appointment asChair, Dr Jones recognised the importanceUKAS places on the advice provided byPAC and the need to ensure the effectiveestablishment of the new PAF in order tomaximise stakeholder input for the future.
At the same meeting, Paul Stennett,UKAS Chief Executive, paid tribute to thewise and helpful guidance of the outgoingChair, Dr Seton Bennett of the NationalPhysical Laboratory (NPL), both at themeetings and beyond. Dr Bennett willcontinue to represent NPL on the UKASPAC until the end of the year.
Environmental Technologies Verification Scheme
Dr Martin Jones, Paul Stennett and Dr Seton Bennett
Innovative environmental technologies
are urgently needed to provide
solutions to the major environmental
challenges faced by Europe and the
world, to deliver the transition to a low
carbon, resource efficient economy.
The European Commission is exploring the
development of a voluntary scheme for
Environmental Technology Verification (ETV).
This is intended to generate independent and
credible information on new environmental
technologies by verifying that performance
claims put forward by technology developers
and vendors are complete, fair and based on
reliable test results.
The claims will be evaluated by Verification
Centres independent of the developers and
vendors. The Centres will critically review the
information provided and will need to ensure
that the testing that supports the claims is
reliable.
Before the Europe-wide ETV scheme is put in
place, a pre-programme is planned to pilot the
scheme and help shape the characteristics of
the final scheme.
The UK has agreed to participate in the ETV
pre-programme, and UKAS will be working
with DEFRA on this project.
UKAS will be involved in the accreditation of
any Verification Centres based in the UK and
the test laboratories that may be involved in
the testing activities. The criteria for the
assessment of the Centres will be developed
at a European level, with the participation of
the European cooperation for Accreditation,
to ensure a consistent approach in all
Member States.
The technology areas that are currently being
proposed by the UK for the pre-programme
are water treatment and monitoring, soil and
groundwater monitoring, and remediation
and energy technologies.
04 Update September 2010 www.ukas.com
The European Accreditation Co-operation (EA) and the European Commission signed aFramework Partnership Agreement in Brussels on June 30, 2010. The signing ceremony wasattended by Graham Talbot, EA Chairman and Ms Liliana Brykman, Director on behalfof Mr Heinz Zourek, Director General Enterprise and Industry.
The partnership agreement sets out the
terms and conditions of the relationship,
with a view to achieving the common
policy aims and objectives stated in the
Cooperation Guidelines. It covers a
period of four years commencing on
1 January 2010.
EA also signed a Specific Agreement on
an Operating Grant for 2010, which
details financial contributions from the
Commission in the form of operating
grants for EA to carry out elements of
its work as the official accreditation
infrastructure in Europe. A similar
agreement should be signed with the
EFTA countries by the end of the year.
There is still work to be completed,
notably establishing the processes and
procedures necessary to administer the
Specific Agreement on the Operating
Grant. The EA Executive Committee will
therefore pursue its planned work
programme and update stakeholders in
due course.
EA enters into a formal partnership with the Commission
The agreement formalises the relationship
between the two organisations that
started with the adoption of the new
European legislative package, in particular
Regulation (EC) 765/2008 of the
European Parliament and of the Council
of 9 July 2008, and the recognition of
EA as the official European accreditation
infrastructure. Further progress was
made with the signing of the “General
Guidelines for the Cooperation between
the European co-operation for
Accreditation and the European
Commission, the European Free Trade
Association and the competent National
Authorities” on 1 April 2009 in Brussels.
On signing the agreements GrahamTalbot commented:
This is a significant
achievement for EA and I would
like to thank those within EA and
the Commission who contributed
to reaching this important
milestone. EA will strive to carry
out its new role with diligence,
impartiality, independence and
professionalism to ensure that the
trust that has been placed in EA
is well-founded.
“
“
Ms Liliana Brykman and Graham Talbot
www.ukas.com Update September 2010 05
Campden Certification is the firstcertification body in the UK to begranted accreditation to BS EN45011: 1998 (General requirementsfor bodies operating product certification systems) for certificationof the validation and on-going conformity of alternative micro-biological test kits. The accreditationwas granted on the 27 July 2010and covers the certification of kitswhere Campden Certification is itself responsible for the validationand where validation is the responsibility of other organisations,in accordance with the ISO 16140protocol.
Microbiology testing for quality assurancepurposes in the food industry involves detecting and, where appropriate, enumerating both pathogenic bacteria andspoilage organisms, and is part of the armoury of food manufacturers to assessand ensure food safety and to maintainproduct quality and shelf life. Statutory requirements and industry codes of practicehave been developed over many years; theirprimary role is to protect public health andthey often stipulate specific tests, includingthose for certain food-borne pathogenicbacteria of concern and for specific indicatororganisms. Generally, these requirementsspecify the use of published standard testmethods e.g. International Organisation forStandardisation (ISO) methods or a validatedequivalent method to be followed.
Food testing laboratories accredited againstthe requirements of ISO/IEC 17025 (Generalrequirements for testing and calibration laboratories) will generally favour selecting ISOtest methods because of the ISO 17025: 2005requirement to, where appropriate, selectcurrent published international test standards.If not, extensive validation is required. Fullvalidation of a food microbiology testmethod as described in ISO 16140: 2003(Microbiology of food and animal feedingstuffs – Protocol for the validation of alternativemethods) is out of reach of most organisations;
it involves appointing an expert laboratoryand a number of collaborating organisationsall of whom are required to test for the organism of concern using both the methodto be validated and the current published ISOmethod for that bacterium for comparisonpurposes. ISO 16140 specifies minimumnumbers of participants and replicates to betested along with food types that should beconsidered and of course suitable statisticalcomputations to assess the performance ofthe method against the recognised reference method.
The complexity of conducting full validationin accordance with ISO 16140 for methodswhich are not based on accepted ISO reference publications means that to a largeextent, official recognised methods in foodmicrobiology have not evolved significantlyover the past couple of decades. Detectionmethods in particular continue to take, depending on the organism, several days toarrive at a confirmed result. This is particularlytrue for conventional culture-based methodsavailable for the detection of Salmonella infoods. The fast pace of the food industryfed by a public demand for 24 hour, seven-days-a-week grocery shopping often meansthat food manufacturers face challengeswhen it comes to awaiting laboratory testresults and meeting supply requirementsfrom retailers. This is particularly so for shortshelf life fresh products.
To respond to the needs of food industrytesting requirements, businesses supplyingmicrobiology laboratories with test materialsspend significant R&D budgets developingrapid methods to reduce the time taken forlaboratory tests and in some cases have successfully brought to market test kits thatcan cut by more than half the time todemonstrate a negative result for organismslike Salmonella and Listeria. However theneed to validate and therefore show paritywith established ISO conventional proceduresremains and is still seen to be a barrier to uptake within the food microbiology testingindustry.
In 2008 UKAS were approached by CampdenBRI (formerly Campden & Chorleywood Food
Research Association) with a view to accrediting the process of validating ISO 16140) for food microbiology testing tofacilitate easier take up of alternative methodsby testing laboratories while, importantly allowing those laboratories to meet the expectation that alternative methods specified in legislation or industry codes ofpractice could be seen to be equivalent. To meet the requirements of ISO/IEC 17025,testing labs would then simply need todemonstrate competence with the alternative method and that the applicationof the alternative method in the testing laboratory was covered by the scope of theISO 16140 validation protocol. Campden BRIsubsequently set up an independent company limited by guarantee and appliedto UKAS for accreditation to BS EN 4011.
Pat Eycott, Systems Manager at CampdenCertification Limited said "The services provided by Campden Certification Limitedoffer kit manufacturers the exciting opportunity of being able to obtain both validation and certification of their test kitsin accordance with ISO 16140: 2003 byworking with a single organisation. This provides a more efficient and straight forwardapproach to kit validation and certification.Where existing validation data is available, orwhen it has been generated under anotherscheme, Campden Certification Limited isalso able to offer certification. CampdenCertification Limited is accredited to BS EN45011: 1998 to undertake its certification activity giving users of these methods confidence in the performance of thesemethods and independent data on theequivalence of these alternative methods to the relevant standard method."
First accreditation for certification of alternative test kits
Stationary Source Emissions Quality Assurance of Measuring Systems underISO/IEC 17025 accreditation
UKAS and the EnvironmentAgency have been workingin partnership under theMCERTS scheme for stackemissions to define accreditation criteria fortesting laboratories that perform work on industrialautomated instrumental systems monitoring emissionsto air to the requirements ofBS EN 14181– stationarysource emissions – qualityassurance of automatedmeasuring systems undertheir ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation.
This type of work has been performed
outside the scope of accreditation for a
number of years and following many
instances of variability and significant
examples of general misunderstanding
of the key requirements, both industry
and the Environment Agency looked for
mechanisms to increase the confidence
in those performing this work.
It was decided that accreditation was
the obvious step to secure this confi-
dence; however, as this was a new area
to UKAS, the route to accreditation
would be developed as a pilot project
scheme. This has now been running
successfully with a group of participants
for the past year to fully develop the
accreditation process.
The key areas UKAS has focused onare:l Verification that the emissions
monitoring system is fit for purpose
and functioning correctly.l Agreement in advance with all
parties of both the protocols and
objectives of the exercise.l Performance of the individual testing
activities under accreditation.l Production of a comprehensive
report meeting all the requirements
of BS EN 14181 and the Environment
Agency guidance.
The assessment stage is now complete
and it is envisaged that all participant
testing laboratories will be granted
UKAS accreditation to BS EN 14181
under ISO/IEC 17025 and MCERTS for
stack emissions in January 2011. From
this date, it will become a mandatory
requirement of the Environment Agency
that all industrial process operators
operating with a permit from the
Environment Agency under the
Environmental Permitting Regulations
procuring this type of work will have to
ensure their chosen supplier holds the
correct accreditation. For further
information please contact
Rohit Chirodian, Assessment Manager
06 Update September 2010 www.ukas.com
Project Evolution has a key aim tofurther enhance UKAS’ service toour customers and stakeholdersthrough the implementation of anERP system and through the simplification and improvement ofUKAS processes and procedures.
Hitachi Consulting UK is a recognisedleader in delivering proven business andIT strategies and solutions to Global2000 companies across many industries,including 25 percent of the Global 100companies.
Microsoft Dynamics AX is an establishedbusiness management solution, whichwill provide UKAS with a fully integratedbusiness platform which consolidatesand standardises processes, allowing thedelivery of key business information, improved productivity and visibilityacross the business and has a defineddevelopment road map through to2020.
A dedicated project team at UKAS willwork on Project Evolution with HitachiConsulting UK over the coming yearwith planned delivery in 2011. UKAS hasalready, and will continue to, involverepresentatives from our customers andstakeholders at key stages throughoutthe project.
Key deliverables for customers and stakeholders:
The implementation of this ERP solutionwill result in dramatic changes to theUKAS working practices, by simplifyingprocesses and developing tools to enhance services to our customers andstakeholders. Key deliverables include,but are not limited to:
– ‘Enhanced Communications’ –The ability to better track the progressof ongoing work and improved transparency of customer communications. This means that any UKAS staff member will be able to provide customers with up-to-date information regarding their account with UKAS.
– ‘Improved Tracking and Monitoring of Service Levels’ – Improvements to the way UKAS tracksand monitors the many tasks and deadlines that make up the accreditation process. This allows UKAS to be more proactive, further reducing the possibility of any delays.
– ‘Customer Web-Portals’ –Customers will have 24/7 access to up-to-date information regarding theiraccount with UKAS including the ability to, track ongoing work, post improvement action evidence and submit applications online.
Evolution at UKASFollowing a robust and in-depth review of a number of leading ERP (Enterprise Resource andPlanning) vendors, UKAS is pleased to announce that Hitachi Consulting UK has been selected as the implementation partner for Project Evolution which will deliver an ERP systembuilt on a Microsoft Dynamics® AX platform.
Support for customers and stakeholders:
UKAS recognises the need to supportcustomers and stakeholders duringthese changes to systems and processesso that UKAS can continue to deliver accreditation services to a high standard.
Whilst the implementation of an ERPsystem on this scale will undoubtedlycause some disruption, UKAS is planningto minimise this through providing in-depth and comprehensive training toall UKAS staff and by having a phasedimplementation of some aspects of thefunctionality.
Customers and stakeholders shouldbegin to see changes during 2011 including the introduction of web-portalsshortly after the implementation of themain system. UKAS will support customers and stakeholders in the useof these new tools through the provisionof user guides, fully trained contacts atUKAS and potentially, demonstrations atcustomer days.
UKAS will continue to keep customersand stakeholders informed of theprogress of Project Evolution, however if you have any specific queries or needmore information please contact theproject team on [email protected]
www.ukas.com Update September 2010 07
Agri-Food and Biosciences (AFB)
Construction, Mechanical & Materials
Section (CMM)
Certification
Engineering
Electrical/Physical/ Thermal (EPT)
Environment
Industrial Chemistry
Measurement Audit
Divisional Director, Operations
Jeff Ruddle
Chief Ex
Paul St
08 Update September 2010 www.ukas.com
Finance
Alan
Commercial Operations and Business Information
Development and ISAS
Corporate Services
UKAS Organisation Chart
Accreditation Director
Jane Beaumont
Human ResourcesManager
Debbie Bartlett
Divisional Director, Technical
Lorraine Turner
Director Technical and External Affairs
Graham Talbot
xecutive
tennett
www.ukas.com Update September 2010 09
Director
n Hill
Finance Marketing and communications
Technical
UKAS Contact Details
General Enquiries 020 8917 8400Fax 020 8917 8499Website www.ukas.com
Useful emailsAFB [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] Communications [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] Chemistry [email protected] Desk [email protected] [email protected] Audit [email protected] [email protected]
HumanResources
Changing the CPA decisionmaking process
In order to be compliant with ISO/IEC 17011CPA will be changing its decision makingprocess and this needs to be done to meetthe requirements of the standard for accrediting bodies. Turnaround times havealready improved significantly over the pastthree years and further improvements arepossible. The present system provides for ajoint decision between the office-based Accreditation Managers and the relevantmember of the Professional Advisory Committee (PAC). This process follows theassessment visit that is carried out by theRegional and Peer Assessors. Although thisis a very thorough system, it impacts on thetime taken for a laboratory to be aware ofthe final decision.
In the new proposals the Assessment Teamwill make a recommendation on site duringthe de-brief session with the laboratorymanagement, so that the laboratory canmake a start on addressing any findings thathave been raised. Where decisions arestraightforward, these will be made by the Regional Assessors, whilst the more complexones will be passed on to the relevant professional lead on the PAC. The majorityof the work will be completed by telephoneconference, only occasionally requiring a fullmeeting of the PAC. The timescale forthese changes to the decision-makingprocess will be six-eight months.
Developing a new Professional CommitteeStructure
A new professional committee structure isbeing considered to take on some of theduties of the old CPA Board. By extendingthe term of office for the committee members will provide continuity and indoing so will help to ‘bed-in’ the new decision making process. The new CPA
CPA/UKAS DevelopmentsIn April 2009, Clinical Pathology Accreditation (CPA) was acquired by UKAS. Since this acquisitionthere have been a number of initiatives in progress to develop CPA and deliver CPA processes effectively and safely into UKAS. The main initiatives are: changing the CPA decision makingprocess, developing a new Professional Committee Structure and Specific Standard Changes.
structure will consist of 4 tiers; the UKASBoard, the Clinical Advisory Committee(CAC), the Professional Advisory Committee,and Discipline and Specific Committeeswhen required.
The CAC will consist of members who havebeen invited by CPA, and appointed by theCEO. It is highly probable that the memberswill have been involved with CPA as PAC andex-PAC members. CAC will advise the UKASBoard on accreditation strategy, deal withappeals and meet three-four times a year.
The PAC will continue to participate in thedecision making process utilising “tele-conference” meetings once a fortnight instead of face-to-face meetings every sixweeks.
Specific Standard Changes
At present, CPA assesses to standards thathave been developed over a number of yearsby the organisation, taking into account therequirements of international standards.The intention now is to migrate to international standards through a series oftransition phases. It is expected that thistransition will take 2 to 3 years.
The objective is to ensure that UKAS andCPA are working in harmony. It is intendedthat, at some point, CPA will become an integral part of UKAS in order that its activities can be covered under the Europeancooperation for Accreditation (EA) multilateral agreement (MLA).
Although not an activity yet covered underthe EA MLA, CPA and UKAS are working together on the introduction of the newstandard for EQA/PT providers. ISO/IEC 17043was published earlier this year and as thestandard is new to both UKAS and CPA itprovides an ideal opportunity to develop ajoint approach to training and accreditationprocesses.
ISO 15189 is the standard for competency inmedical laboratories and the new revision isexpected to be published in 2012. CPA willnot undertake any gap analysis to updatethe current CPA standard, there will be aphased transition to the international standard. The project has started, and pilotsites will be selected. This transition will ensure that accreditation for medical laboratories in the UK is consistent with accreditation internationally.
One element of CPA which will not change is that peer assessment will remain at theheart of the process. Maintenance of thepeer assessment approach is vital and theCPA model has recently been adopted byUKAS for its Imaging Services Accreditation.Peer assessment will remain a key part ofUKAS’ strategy for CPA ensuring not onlythat the most appropriate individuals carryout assessments but also that CPA can keepfees as low as possible for all medical laboratories.
CPA Office Closure
The lease on CPA Sheffield office expires atend of March 2011. In March this year, CPAstarted consultation with employees on thefuture location of the office. The consultationended in early June and it was announcedthat CPA will move all activities to the UKASoffice in Feltham. After careful consideration,it has been decided that the long term interests of the business will be best servedby proceeding with the plan to close theSheffield office and transfer the supportfunctions on a phased basis.
The transfer will start in October and it is expected to be completed by the end of theyear. CPA is in the process of communicatingthis decision to all customers and peer assessors.
10 Update September 2010 www.ukas.com
CQC – new system of registrationfor medical laboratoriesWhat is registration? The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is
introducing a new system of registration,
which brings the NHS, independent health-
care and adult social care under a single set
of essential standards of quality and safety.
This brings with it significant changes for
independent medical laboratories, as they
will for the first time need to register with
the CQC in order to legally practice from
1 October 2010.
The new registration system makes sure
that essential standards of quality and safety
apply across the whole care sector. It means
that people can expect services to meet the
same essential standards that protect their
safety, and respect their dignity and rights.
The Health and Social Care Act 2008 outlines
the scope of registration. The Department
of Health has set out the new regulations in
the Health and Social Care Act 2008
(Regulated Activities) Regulations 2010 and
Care Quality Commission (Registration)
Regulations 2009.
After initial registration, CQC will continuously
monitor whether providers are meeting the
essential standards of quality and safety.
However, CQC is working with UKAS to set
out an agreement on sharing information to
assist this monitoring process. The aim of
the agreement is to prevent unnecessary
duplication of gathering information on
performance. In this connection UKAS and
CQC are in discussions that will enable the
UKAS owned body, Clinical Pathology
Accreditation (CPA) to share its expertise and
knowledge about medical laboratory services
with CQC to establish systems that will help
avoid any additional assessments falling on
medical laboratories if they are accredited
by CPA.
CQC has a wider range of strong new
powers including imposing conditions on
registration, fines, and in extreme cases,
cancellation of registration. Where there are
concerns about compliance, CQC will identify
them quickly and work with providers to
improve, taking proportionate enforcement
action where necessary.
Laboratories that needto registerNHS Trusts that directly provide laboratory
services were registered with CQC on 1 April
2010. Independent stand-alone or private
medical laboratories now need to register
with CQC if they examine tissue, cells or
fluids from the body for the purpose of
discovering the presence, cause or extent of
disease, disorder or injury.
However, there are some exemptions.
Laboratories that only carry out analysis for
genetic purposes, or research and analysis
associated with a national cancer screening
programme, will not need to register.
What action laboratoriesneed to take nowThe application process is now open and
independent laboratories are advised to
submit an application on or before 1 August
2010. If CQC receives the application by this
date, the laboratories will be able to continue
to operate legally after 1 October 2010 even
if CQC has not yet processed its application.
To prepare for registration, providers can
begin to familiarise themselves with the
guidance about compliance documents,
which make clear the outcomes CQC can
expect people to experience if a provider is
compliant with the regulations and how
compliance is determined.
There is also an online interactive version
which enables providers to collect and print
out the guidance that applies to particular
types of service. This is available at www.
cqcguidanceaboutcompliance.org.uk
CQC has also made available an e-learning
module, which guides providers step-by-step
through the application process, as well as a
guidance document on ‘How to complete
the application form’. Both of these are
available on the CQC website –
www.cqc.org.uk/registration
CQC encourage all providers to visit the CQC
website for the most up to date information
on the entire registration process, timescales
and the action they need to take.
If providers have any further queries, they
can email: [email protected]
If any laboratories have any enquiries relating
to CQC registration and their accreditation
with CPA, then they should contact Cheryl
Blair at [email protected]
www.ukas.com Update September 2010 11
In 1997, UKAS established a Development Group that would be dedicated to developing assessment and accreditation services for new areas, schemes and fieldsof activity in response to the needs of stakeholders and users of accreditation.Development projects and enquiries may originate from the public or private sectors and are managed by Accreditation Managers (Development), supported asrequired by Assessment Managers and Customer Liaison staff. Any potential newaccreditation activities have first to meet defined eligibility criteria and are subject to resource availability and current priorities.
Section Profile
Development Group
A major project is being undertakenon behalf of the Royal College of Radiologists and the College of Radiographers to provide accreditationfor the Imaging Services AccreditationScheme, ISAS. A dedicated team hasbeen developing our assessment andaccreditation processes and the firstaccreditation for ISAS is expectedwithin the next few months.
We are also working with a number ofproject owners including the ForestryCommission, the Department ofHealth, the Forensic Science Regulator,UK National Technical Authority for Information Assurance (CESG) and theDepartment for Energy and ClimateChange (DECC) to provide assessmentand accreditation for a wide range ofnew areas of activity ranging from examination of scenes of crime topoint of care testing in the communityand carbon sequestration projects.
Flexibility of approach is essential fordevelopment work, whilst at the sametime ensuring that any assessmentand accreditation activity is performedto the same standard and using thesame processes as for establishedwork in Operations. If we develop orneed to make use of different assessment tools and techniques inDevelopment, such as the web-basedassessment tool currently being pioneered by the Imaging ServicesTeam, we will also consider whetherthe use of these tools and techniquescan be extended into establishedfields of accreditation.
DEVELOPMENT TEAM
Jane BeaumontAccreditation Director
David HaywardAccreditation Manager (Development)
Ian RonksleyAccreditation Manager (Development)
Dorota PitmanCustomer Liaison Officer (Development)
Imaging Services Team
Ethna Glean Accreditation Manager (Development)
Deborah LoveAssessment Manager
Lynette Blackhurst Assessment Manager
David HalfpennyAssessment Manager
Kayleigh GregoryCustomer Account Coordinator
12 Update September 2010 www.ukas.com
www.ukas.com Update September 2010 13
A particular highlight on the UKAS/ISAS
stand was the new additional function
of the web-based tool, called TrafficLight Ready. Traffic Light Ready is
being made available as a free resource
to all UK imaging services. This new
function will enable the organisation to
use a traffic light scoring system to
assess its current performance against
the ISAS Standard. Radiology Managers
or equivalent can request an immediate
login by emailing the ISAS customer
service team at UKAS. A new brochure
on ISAS was also available for delegates.
UKAS also presented an early rise session
entitled ‘ISAS one year on’. Ethna
Glean, ISAS Accreditation Manager, gave
an overview of progress with ISAS whilst
Jane Beaumont, UKAS Accreditation
Director, looked at how accreditation
could support imaging services and also
other diagnostic disciplines to deliver the
current healthcare service improvement
agenda. The majority of the session was
then handed over to ISAS participants.
Dr. Melanie Hiorns, Consultant Radiologist,
Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children
NHS Trust, drew on her personal
experience as an ISAS assessor and as an
Early Implementer to give an enthusiastic
and highly positive account of ISAS. She
said: ‘I never knew there were so many
ways to get a job done, and all have
their strengths and weaknesses, but
training as an ISAS assessor has shown
me the different aspects’. Melanie
concluded that the assessor role has
provided her with a great insight into her
own Service’s strengths and weaknesses
which can only serve to support their
own preparations for accreditation.
Deborah Southon, Project Lead for ISAS,
Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust, gave a
very considered account of her Service’s
participation in ISAS. She commented:
‘There is a lot of work involved, but the
benefits of participating in ISAS far
outweigh the effort’. Although the
Service had found the process very
demanding in terms of time to do the
work, Deborah was keen to highlight
that the UKAS ISAS team was extremely
supportive and that valuable learning
had been gained by all Plymouth staff
involved in the assessment and
accreditation process. She reinforced
this with a recent quote from a colleague:
“We are moving away from seeing it
[ISAS] as a quality badge or benchmark
against similar Trusts and more as a tool
to drive continuous quality improvement.”
The session was moderated by ZenaMitton, former President of The Society
and College of Radiographers.
For further information about ISAS, the
ISAS assessor role and or to apply for a
login to Traffic Light Ready and a copy
of the ISAS brochure please email
UKRC 2010 –ISAS one year on! A dedicated UKAS team has recently returned from showcasing ISAS (Imaging Services Accreditation Scheme) at the annual radiology and oncology congress, UKRC 2010. This year’scongress was held at the International Convention Centre, Birmingham with the associatedexhibition housed at the nearby National Indoor Arena. The UKAS/ISAS stand at the exhibitionwas the focus of much interest from radiographers and radiologists seeking informationabout the progress of this new UKAS venture during its first year.
14 Update September 2010 www.ukas.com
Events
TAF Awards DinnerThe Trade Association Forum (TAF) encourages the development and
sharing of best practice among UK trade associations. UKAS is the
headline sponsor for the TAF Best Practice Awards and Paul Stennett,
UKAS Chief Executive was delighted to present the Awards at the
TAF Best Practice Awards and Networking Dinner on the 1 July at the
Russell Hotel in London.
UKAS continues to work with TAF to raise awareness of accredited
services. The TAF events are also great opportunities for UKAS to
emphasise the importance of using a UKAS accredited organisation
and the value of UKAS accreditation.
UKAS and BSI highlight Government-wide role for
Against a backdrop of unprecedented challenges to the public purse
and a desire to challenge all aspects of public sector activity, UKAS
and BSI held their annual House of Lords reception to raise the
prospect of standards and accreditation playing a greater part in
delivering Government policy. A large audience of around 150 senior
representatives from across the public sector gathered to hear how
standards and accreditation can provide practical, business-focussed
solutions to address key areas of Government policy.
In introducing the event, Lord Lindsay, UKAS Chairman commented
“There is growing recognition that standards and accreditation can
make a major contribution to the delivery of public services,
especially at this time when departments and agencies are having to
find savings in their budgets and are looking for more cost effective
ways of delivering services. With every penny of public spending
being scrutinized, the ability of standards and accreditation to
deliver fast, market-focussed answers to help governments find
quick-win solutions has never been more important.”
UKAS recently published a new brochure regarding the Imaging Services Accreditation
Scheme (ISAS). The brochure is a great starting point for anyone who would like to
learn more about the patient focused imaging scheme, which is available to public
and private imaging services across the UK. The brochure includes the benefits of
participating in the scheme, details of the assessment and accreditation process, and
support available to imaging services. To request hardcopies of the brochure email:
[email protected] or visit: www.isas-uk.org to download a
copy, and to find further information about ISAS.
Mike Low, Director Standards, BSI added “BSI works across a wide
range of areas and provides off-the-shelf, cost effective, practical/
solutions to the issues that governments are addressing, not just in
the UK. Many countries have seen the benefit of using standards
and accreditation as a major enabler to more efficient public
procurement and we would encourage more of this in the UK.”
New promotional material
New ISAS brochure now available
Events
www.ukas.com Update September 2010 15
standards and accreditation
Forensic Awareness WorkshopThe Forensic Science Regulator Andrew Rennison recommended
in 2009 that all providers of forensic science services, in both police
and private sectors, become accredited by UKAS to demonstrate
their technical competence. UKAS recently held a series of Forensic
Awareness Workshops to raise awareness of the Forensic Science
Regulator’s policy regarding accreditation in the forensic sector. The
workshops, which were kindly supported by the Regulator, provided
Police Forces and commercial forensic providers with an introduction
to UKAS as the Government appointed National Accreditation Body, an
insight into the principles of the Standards, the route to achieving
accreditation, and an overview of the basic requirements.
The series of workshops has now been completed and all the
presentations from the workshops can be downloaded from
http://www.ukas.com/media-centre/events/awareness/
UKAS_Forensic_Awareness_Workshops.asp
The Health and Social Care sector is a priority sector for UKAS. The recent acquisition of Clinical Pathology Accreditation (CPA), in addition to other activitiessuch as the Imaging Services Accreditation Scheme, Point of Care Testing, and thedevelopment of a Healthcare Information Accreditation Scheme, is evidence thataccreditation is becoming a preferred strategy in delivering high quality services fitfor the 21st Century.
To support Commissioners of Healthcare services, UKAS has produced a promotionalbriefing brochure that sets out how accreditation can support consistency in theprovision of care, provide a mechanism for measuring quality improvement, andtherefore ultimately inform investment decisions.
The briefing will be distributed widely to Commissioners, as well as being availablefor download from the UKAS website.
Lord James of Blackheath. speaking at the House of Lords reception
Guest speaker at this year’s reception was Lord James of Blackheath.
Drawing on his wide experience of senior roles in the City, as Chairman
of the Millennium Dome and author of the 2005 James Review of
Tax-Payer Value, Lord James gave warning of the need for sensible
decision making to ensure more can be delivered with less. Lord
James commented “There is the need for creative Government
initiatives, not least for kick-starting a great many businesses that
have fallen into distress in the recession. Standards and accreditation
provide a very positive means of delivering a confident solution to
many issues Government has to address, such as assisting struggling
businesses. They are a great illustration of how some different thinking
could provide real benefit in public service delivery and business
support.”
The annual House of Lords receptions continue to provide valuable
opportunities for UKAS staff to make and renew contacts within the
public sector and are a key component of the campaign to raise
awareness and knowledge of accreditation in government circles.
The success of this year’s event, with the largest ever attendance, is an
indication of the growing interest in standards and accreditation as an
effective tool for the delivery of Government policy.
New promotional material
Informing Commissioners of Healthcare services
16 Update September 2010
Diary dates
The diary lists forthcoming national and international accreditation-related events of interestto our readers, as well as upcoming UKAS training courses.
Update is published quarterly by the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS). Articles in Updatemay be reproduced on receipt ofpermission from the Editor. Update is also published on the UKAS website atwww.ukas.com
UKAS is a non-profit-distributing company limited by guarantee. It is the sole national accreditation body recognised by the UKGovernment for the assessment (against international standards) of the technical competence of organisations offering evaluationservices such as testing, inspection, calibration and certification.
Information Desk
Tel: +44 (0)20 8917 8400Fax: +44 (0)20 8917 [email protected]
United Kingdom Accreditation Service
21–47 High Street, Tel: +44 (0)20 8917 8400Feltham, Fax: +44 (0)20 8917 8500Middlesex www.ukas.comTW13 4UN www.ukas.org
Editor
Aneet GoomerTel: +44 (0)20 8917 8467Fax: +44 (0)20 8917 [email protected]
Sanctions
Sanctions data is provided in Update on a quarterly
basis. Full statistics from January 2008 are available
on the UKAS website www.ukas.com
For the period April to June 2010:
Imposed total suspensions:
7 organisations –
(3 laboratories and 3 inspection bodies and
1 certification body)
Imposed total withdrawals
0 organisation
The data does not include suspensions and
terminations that have been imposed for
non-payment of fees.
September
6-8 Training CourseAssessor Training ISO/IEC 17025 [email protected]
9-10Training CourseLead Assessor Course [email protected]
14 EA Laboratory CommitteeManagement [email protected]
15-16EA Laboratory [email protected]
15-17Committee Conformity Assessment Working Group31 – Revision to ISO/[email protected]
21-22EA [email protected]
21-22Training CourseLaboratory Internal Audit [email protected]
28-29EA Horizontal Harmonisation [email protected]
29ISO Technical [email protected]
29-30EA Certification [email protected]
November
2Training CourseISO 15189 Transition Course [email protected]
2-3 Training CourseISO/IEC 17020 AwarenessCourse [email protected]
3-5 Training CourseAssessor Training ISO 15189 [email protected]
10European cooperation forAccreditation Advisory [email protected]
11 PAC [email protected]
15-18 Training CourseCombined Laboratory [email protected]
23EA [email protected]
23-24 Training CourseUncertainty of Measurement – [email protected]
24ISAS Preparatory Workshop [email protected]
24-25 EA General [email protected]
30Training CourseTraceability and Uncertaintyfor Managers [email protected]
October
1EA Inspection [email protected]
6Training CoursePreparation for [email protected]
6ISAS Preparatory Workshop [email protected]
6-7EA Communications & Publications [email protected]
6-7EA Multilateral [email protected]
12-14Training Course Forensic Laboratory Management – Implementation of ISO [email protected]
19-20Training Course Uncertainty of Measurement– Calibration [email protected]
19-21Training Course Laboratory ManagementCourse [email protected]
20-29IAF ILAC Annual [email protected]
Nuclear New Build –Inspection Opportunities
UKAS is now receiving enquiries from inspection bodies for accreditation of inspection of manufactureof nuclear components for the planned PWR powerstations in the UK. Further to this, UKAS is now considering developing a pilot programme for assessment and accreditation of potential applicants.Once the terms and conditions of the pilot programme are established, further information willbe published on the UKAS website www.ukas.comAny applications received for accreditation of inspection of nuclear components will be progressedonce a pilot programme has been established. Pleaseforward any enquiries by e-mail to [email protected]