The East Yorkshire Regional Adult Immunology and Allergy Unit at Castle Hill Hospital has secured another national accreditation in recognition of the high-quality allergy care it provides to patients.
The service has been awarded Improving Quality in Allergy Services (IQAS) accreditation after demonstrating that it meets national best-practice standards across areas including patient experience, clinical care and workforce.
It follows the unit’s success last year when the Immunology service received national accreditation through the Quality in Primary Immunodeficiency Services (QPIDS) programme for the first time.
The latest IQAS assessment praised the team’s clinical leadership and teamwork, as well as its focus on patient engagement. Assessors said this had enabled “meaningful change”, and highlighted a culture of transparency and support around incident reporting.
All actions identified during the assessment process were successfully resolved, with assessors highlighting improvements including management processes, patient involvement, staff training, monitoring of waiting times and learning from incidents.
Dr Sujoy Khan, Consultant Immunologist and Allergist and Service Lead, said: “Achieving and maintaining accreditation involves a lot of hard work throughout the year. It is an ongoing process and means continually providing evidence to show that we are maintaining the required standards.
“This includes carrying out audits and surveys, and demonstrating that we have a culture where people can speak openly. Ultimately, it is about showing that our service continues to provide patients with the high standards of care they should expect.”
The accreditation has been awarded for one year. Successful annual reviews can renew accreditation each year for four years, before a full reaccreditation assessment takes place in the fifth year.
The IQAS assessment team congratulated staff on their achievement, describing the outcome as reflecting the “excellent clinical leadership and tremendous teamwork” demonstrated by the service.
Sarah Sholtysek, Clinical Nurse Specialist and Allergy Lead, said: “I would like to say how proud we all are of this achievement, which ensures our patients receive the best possible care. We have a fantastic, caring team, and I feel lucky to work with such dedicated people.”
Dr Khan said gaining additional IQAS accreditation gives patients further confidence in the service and helps the team pursue specialist treatment options.