This year the pulmonary rehabilitation team at Harefield Hospital became the first service in the country to receive full accreditation in a scheme run by the Royal College of Physicians (RCP) in association with the British Lung Foundation and the British Thoracic Society.
Launched in 2018, the Pulmonary Rehabilitation Services Accreditation Scheme (PRSAS) aims to improve the quality of pulmonary rehabilitation services throughout the UK.
Dr Claire Nolan, senior research physiotherapist, said: “This accreditation is the equivalent of a Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspection for pulmonary rehabilitation services. There are about 250 pulmonary rehabilitation services in the UK, and Harefield pulmonary rehabilitation team is the first to achieve full accreditation.
“It’s a mark of quality which we can highlight to clinical referrers and commissioners, and major kudos to be the first team to have met these standards. We can be proud that the clinical service we provide is second to none.”
Gaining accreditation took two years and involved hundreds of hours of work culminating in a two-day visit from three inspectors.
Dr William Man, consultant chest physician, said: “I am so proud of the team. Obtaining accreditation was a long journey and every team member played an important part of the success. This will be a ‘stand-out’ in our careers. It’s very rare to have the opportunity to be the first at achieving something that is nationally recognised.”
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