Announcing the emergence of QHA Trent & a UK-based surveying and accreditation group

28-May-2010

When the organisation which used to oversee the UK’s Trent Accreditation Scheme, or TAS, made the decision to withdraw from all hospital accreditation-related activities, this was a bitter blow for the many surveyors who had been very happy to donate their own precious free time and duty leave to undertake surveys on behalf of TAS. Surveying of hospitals and clinics was universally considered to be highly worthwhile continuing professional development (CPD) by all those healthcare professionals from diverse professional backgrounds who were involved. It was obvious that there was a considerable pool of talent, expertise, experience and enthusiasm in existence just waiting to be drawn upon.

Furthermore, it was believed that partnership with UK-sourced healthcare accreditation remained a highly attractive option to hospitals and clinics around the world.

Accordingly, a group of former surveyors took the decision to collaborate and to continue with accreditation work. It was out of this decision that “QHA Trent” emerged in 2010.

QHA*, or “Quality Healthcare Advice”, is a limited company headquartered in the Trent region of the UK, and it is owned and managed by a group of Doctors and Healthcare Executives working within the UK National Health Service (NHS) and/or in private practice in the UK. QHA Ltd will provide independent accreditation services under the banner of “QHA Trent”, and the plan is to:-

• provide those services at highly competitive rates, both with respect to the fees that are charged and the surveyors’ air fares and living expenses

• adhere to a policy of transparency with respect to charging

• ensure that the scheme’s own modus operandi and standards remain as high and as professional as is possible, with the standards being firmly based on UK NHS Clinical Governance and other high-quality sources

• seek out positive and mutually beneficial links with key organisations possessing high profiles and enjoying reputations for excellence in the field of healthcare quality and risk minimisation

• to maintain an independent panel comprised of experts drawn from a wide range of backgrounds to oversee the accreditation work of QHA Trent

• ensure that there is a strong bespoke element embedded into the co-development process for standards with partner hospitals (e.g. for ethically-oriented and legal issues)

• base the scheme on voluntary expert surveyors who are actively working in healthcare and relevant academia in the UK

• offer the option to recruit and train additional surveyors who would be drawn from among the staff of QHA Trent’s partner hospitals around the world

• offer high quality assistance (at competitive rates) with the process of preparation for those hospitals and clinics going for accreditation, such assistance being clearly separated off from the accreditation side of the work (in line with ISQua and UKAF recommendations).

The QHA Trent team are very much looking towards a future in which they will provide a high-quality professionally-based surveying and accreditation service at attractive prices for an increasing number of hospitals and clinics anywhere in the world. QHA Trent definitely represents an exciting new start for all.

Website & contact details

Web site: www.qha-international.co.uk

Email: [email protected]