Expression of interest: development project for accreditation of Community Diagnostic Centres

UKAS is working with NHS England to establish a project to develop Accreditation for Community Diagnostic Centres (CDCs).

NHSE have stipulated that CDCs are to be accredited within 2 years of being set up. Over 170 CDCs have already been approved by NHSE to operate services which may include pathology, phlebotomy, point of care testing, diagnostic imaging, and physiological science services.

As the national accreditation body, UKAS is the only organisation recognised to provide accreditation across healthcare diagnostic and scientific services. UKAS will now work with host Trusts and CDC providers to determine the most suitable approach to deliver accreditation across the relevant disciplines, and the scope and the timeframes that services are planning to work to.

In order to conduct this work UKAS needs to gather as much information as possible from CDCs on their structures, governance, activities and how they work with other services. We will then be able to use this information to formulate a plan and pilot an integrated approach for our assessments, where required.

Organisations that wish to learn more, participate in the information gathering and/or the development of accredited activities, or extend their current accredited scope for diagnostic and scientific services, are requested to contact [email protected] by 1^stOctober 2023 and provide the following information:

• Name of organisation including legal entity
• Confirm whether your interest is in assisting with the development of the assessment/or as a potential pilot project applicant
• Status and configuration of the CDC service
• Classification of CDC – Standard, Large, or Hub and Spoke
• Services offered by the CDC
• Status of any current accreditation or certification

Those organisations that submit an expression of interest will be invited to attend the meeting of interested parties where the project will be discussed with relation to the different stages, and the terms of the project outlined along with a proposed timeline for key stages.

Please note that submitting an expression of interest does not indicate any commitment to participate in the project on the part of the interested parties and nor does the acceptance of an expression of interest commit UKAS to accept the interested party on any future pilot project.

The use of relevant experts providing peer assessment sits at the heart of UKAS’s accreditation activities.  We are always keen to hear from experts interested in joining our large pool of competent assessors.

If you are interested and would like to learn more about assessing for UKAS, please contact Andy Green on 01784 429000 or email [email protected]