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UpdateUnited Kingdom Accreditation Service Newsletter
March 2010
Issue 56
Government strengthens linkswith UKASPage 02
EA General Assembly
page 04
2009 Think Tank –delivering qualityhealthcare
page 06
ISAS to be showcasedat UKRC 2010
page 09
Since its formation in 1995, UKAShas been the sole accreditationbody recognised by the UK Government to assess, against internationally recognised standards, organisations that provide certification, testing, inspection and calibration services.The EU Regulation on accreditation(EC Regulation 765/2008), whichcame into force on 1 January 2010,requires each Member State to appoint a single national accreditation body. UKAS hastherefore been appointed by statutory instrument providing, for the first time, a legal basis forits role.
Government strengthens linkswith UKAS
02 Update March 2010 www.ukas.com
The statutory instrument (No 3155/
2009) was signed on 30 November 2009
by Lord Drayson, Minister for Science
and Innovation, and announced in a
Written Statement to Parliament. In the
statement, Lord Drayson said: “Since
1995, the government have recognised
UKAS as the sole national accreditation
body for the UK. Since its establishment
by the Department of Trade and Industry,
UKAS has played a significant role in the
operation of national, European and
international accreditation.
“The Department for Business, Innovation
and Skills (BIS) has a long-standing and
effective relationship with UKAS that
both parties value highly. We will
continue to work together not only to
ensure that the requirements of the EC
Regulation are fulfilled but to improve
the quality and breadth of accreditation
in the UK.”
UKAS has been formally appointed as the National Accreditation Bodyfor the United Kingdom, under EU Regulation 765/2008.
The Regulation is intended to improve
the consistency of accreditation services
across Europe by setting common
requirements for national accreditation
bodies and requiring them to be
monitored by Member State
governments. The Regulation includes
requirements relating to independence,
impartiality and technical competence.
The Regulation also requires national
accreditation bodies to operate on a
not for profit basis and not to compete
with other national accreditation
bodies.
Paul Stennett and Philip Rycroft sign the revised Memorandum of Understanding
Lord Drayson
“
“Since 1995, the government have recognisedUKAS as the sole national accreditation body for the UK.
www.ukas.com Update March 2010 03
Mandatory Accreditation for ForensicLaboratories carrying out DNA and Fingerprint Activities
At the Annual General Meeting of UKAS
held on 5 November at the Lansdowne
Club, London, both the Members and
the Auditors expressed some concern
about the level of UKAS’ outstanding
unpaid customer invoices at the end of
the Financial Year.
It was proposed that the Annual
Accreditation Fee (AAF), currently
invoiced at the first customer visit every
year, should in future be invoiced earlier
in the financial year. For all customers
who have not been invoiced for their
Annual Accreditation Fee
A European Union Council Framework
Decision on accreditation of forensic
service providers carrying out laboratory
activities was published on 24 November
2009, during the Swedish Presidency of
the European Union. The purpose of
the Decision is to ensure that the
results of laboratory activities carried
out by accredited forensic service
providers in one Member State are
recognised by the authorities responsible
for the prevention, detection and
investigation of criminal offences as
being equally reliable as the results of
laboratory activities carried out by
forensic service providers accredited to
EN ISO/IEC 17025 within any other
Member State. This purpose will be
achieved by ensuring that forensic
service providers carrying out laboratory
activities are accredited by a national
accreditation body as complying with
EN ISO/IEC 17025. This Decision will
apply to laboratory activities resulting in
DNA-profiles and dactyloscopic data.
For the purposes of the Decision,
'laboratory activity' means any measure
taken in a laboratory when locating and
recovering traces on items, as well as
developing, analysing and interpreting
forensic evidence, with a view to
providing expert opinions or exchanging
forensic evidence, and 'dactyloscopic
data' means fingerprint images, images
of fingerprint latents, palm prints, palm
print latents and templates of such
images (coded minutiae).
Member States will have to ensure that
their forensic service providers carrying
out laboratory activities are accredited
by a national accreditation body as
complying with EN ISO/IEC 17025.
As yet no implementation dates have
been confirmed but it is expected that
there will be a transition period of at
least four years from the date of entry
into force of the Decision.
2009/10 AAF, invoices have been
despatched in December 2009.
This custom will continue into 2010/11
with all customers being invoiced
for their AAF at the same time, the
mid-point of the financial year,
1 October, so that the cost of capital is
shared equally between UKAS and its
customers.
The Regulation recognises the European
co-operation for Accreditation (EA) as
the co-ordinating organisation for
accreditation across Europe. National
accreditation bodies will be required to
be members of EA and to participate
in the peer evaluation programme
operated by EA as the means of
demonstrating compliance with the
Regulation.
In support of the statutory appointment,
BIS and UKAS have agreed a revised
Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)
to provide further detail on how the two
organisations will work together to
ensure that the accreditation system in
the UK meets the requirements of the
Regulation and the needs of business
and society. The revised MoU was
signed on 8 December 2009 by
Philip Rycroft, Director General of
Innovation and Enterprise at BIS, and
Paul Stennett, Chief Executive of UKAS.
Following the signing, Paul Stennett
said: “UKAS has for many years worked
with the UK government and our
European counterparts to provide
confidence in the conformity assessment
services on which business and society
rely. UKAS is delighted that this
appointment has codified into law this
long established relationship and looks
forward to continuing to work with
BIS and EA to ensure that accreditation
services in the UK fulfil the high
standards set out in the Regulation.”
EA General Assembly
In advance of EA’s new role as theofficial accreditation infrastructurewithin Europe, the General Assemblyagreed to make a first-stageamendment to the Articles of Association of EA. The revised Articles reinforce the requirementsfor EA Full Members to be the National Accreditation Body legallyappointed in accordance with theEuropean Regulation 765/08. Also,in the future, accreditation bodiesthat are within countries that arepart of the EU’s NeighbourhoodPolicy, or potential candidatecountries to join the EU, may become Associate Members of EA.Further revisions to the Articles are planned to be implemented in2010.
At an important time in the life of the European cooperation for Accreditation(EA), its members held their 24th General Assembly in the historic city of Brugesin November 2009. UKAS Chief Executive, Paul Stennett, and AccreditationDirector, Jane Beaumont, participated on behalf of UKAS.
04 Update March 2010 www.ukas.com
Other decisions endorsed by the General
Assembly included:
The adoption of a Policy for Relations
with Stakeholders as now defined in the
EA document EA-1/15. This provides
for specific recognition of stakeholders
that wish to actively participate in the
corporate life of the Association.
The full membership status of the
German accreditation bodies DKD and
DGA will be transferred to the legal
entity named DAkkS (Deutsche
Akkreditierungsstelle GmbH).
EA will establish a working group to
consider a proposal to provide some
form of recognition to non-European
ABs that meet those requirements of
European Regulation 765/08 that are
over and above those already
recognised through ILAC MRA or IAF
MLA signatory status. This working
group will report back with a plan at
the May 2010 General Assembly.
Two new Contracts of Cooperation
were signed by EA. These were with
the accreditation bodies DAK, Kosovo
(under the UNSCR 1244/1999) and
GAC, Georgia.
The General Assembly agreed the policy
that National Accreditation Bodies
should not carry out assessments of
bodies that seek to become Notified
Bodies, when that assessment is being
used by competent authorities as an
alternative to the use of accreditation
for determining the competence of
the body.
The General Assembly endorsed a new
work item to investigate further the
potential introduction of a European
accreditation symbol.
Within the Certification Committee, the
existing EA working groups for EMS and
Greenhouse Gases will be combined
into one Environment Working Group
that will be chaired by UKAS Assessment
Manager, Andrew Marlow. UKAS
Accreditation Manager, Pam Beha, was
also appointed to be the convenor of
the Certification Committee Food
Working Group. The Committee will
also commence drafting a guidance
document on scopes for accreditation
of organic production certification.
It was agreed that the accreditation and
supervision of environmental verifiers as
conformity assessment bodies under the
EMAS III Regulation will be carried out in
accordance with ISO/IEC 17021:2006
(as the harmonized standard) with the
additional requirements of the EMAS III
Regulation and relevant EA, IAF and
FALB guidance. It was also agreed that
the accreditation of natural persons
that are not legal entities does not
comply with this.
The next General Assembly will take
place in Zürich, Switzerland on 20-21
May 2010.
www.ukas.com Update March 2010 05
Assessment ManagersWorkshop
This year’s workshop was a huge
success, with Assessment Managers
attending a diverse programme of
workshop sessions as well as being
addressed by the UKAS Chief Executive,
Paul Stennett, Director of Accreditation,
Jane Beaumont and Divisional Director
(Technical), Lorraine Turner. These
sessions are an essential part of
communications within the company,
helping to share the successes of the
preceding year, and discuss the
challenges ahead of us.
The first day of the workshop sessions
covered such diverse subjects as a
calibration clinic and issues surrounding
the accreditation of overseas
laboratories in the light of the
Regulation (EC) 765/2008. The second
day of the workshop included a quiz on
the accreditation process, a session on
safety tips while travelling overseas,
ISAS (Imaging Services Accreditation
Scheme) and an address from Cheryl
Blair of CPA. Also included were
sessions on exchanging IT tips, forward
planning and good practice in giving
and receiving feedback.
The workshop completed a well-
balanced and informative programme
for the Assessment Managers.
The UKAS Assessment Managers’ Workshop was held in Old Windsor, at the
Beaumont House Hotel on 14 and 15 January. This annual event is an excellent
opportunity for Assessment Managers, the majority of whom work remotely, to
meet and discuss common issues and attend workshops.
06 Update March 2010 www.ukas.com
Four keynote speakers presented views on quality and safety
in healthcare provision from discrete standpoints across the
healthcare spectrum. Jamie Rentoul, Director of Regulation
and Strategy at the Care Quality Commission (CQC) outlined
priorities for quality and safety in healthcare provision from a
regulator’s point of view. He explained key priorities and
highlighted the need for early identification to rectify
substandard care and for joined-up care provision. Sir Duncan
Nichol, UKAS non-executive director and former Chief Executive
of the NHS Management Executive, acknowledged everyone
was in common pursuit of excellence but invited delegates to
consider “what ‘good’ looks like.” He stressed the importance
of identifying a mid-point along a range from ‘minimum safe
levels’ to ‘outright excellence’, and noted the differences
between pass/fail systems and benchmarking.
Dr Graham Hoadley, Consultant Radiologist and National
Clinical Lead for Radiology service improvement for the NHS,
presented a practising clinician’s view of the quality agenda,
and warned against an ‘error culture’ that assumed ‘accidents
happen.’ He pointed to good data provision as the bedrock
of patient safety and described how accreditation was helping
to drive continuous improvement in radiology through ISAS,
Accreditation has vital role in delivering quality healthcare
Accreditation has a key role to play in driving standardsin healthcare, concluded the 2009 Think Tank hostedby the United Kingdom Accreditation Service. Theevent, which was the first to concentrate on a singlearea of accreditation, follows growing UKAS involvementin the healthcare sector.
2009 Think Tank
Dr Graham Hoadley Jamie Rentoul
Dr Anna DixonSir Duncan Nichol
www.ukas.com Update March 2010 07
the new Imaging Services Accreditation Scheme, recently
launched by UKAS. He emphasised that clinical evidence is a
given but that quality must start with safety. Dr Anna Dixon,
Director of Policy for The King’s Fund, expressed concern
about inaccurate uses of terminology where accreditation is
concerned, and suggested the purpose of regulation should
always be considered before designing policy. She also
discussed differences between voluntary benchmark systems
and mandatory licensing systems and the different outcomes
of both. Finally she stressed a need for a mix of systems but
warned of the risk of increasing the regulatory burden.
Summing up the debate Lord Lindsay, UKAS Chairman, said
“Everyone is in agreement that we need to deliver the
highest possible levels of patient care, and it is encouraging
that people from every side of the debate agree that there is
a vital role that accreditation can play in enabling this. UKAS
looks forward to playing a full part in ensuring the provision
of quality healthcare into the future.”
Lord Lindsay
Speakers and delegates at the UKAS
Think Tank event which was held on
30 November at Broadway House,
London.
During the past couple of years thebusiness strategy for the Section hasbeen to re-position itself from Personnel Administration, a functionprimarily concerned with providingadministrative support to one that isproactively engaged in increasing theorganisation’s capability to optimisethe contribution of its people. The latter is a critical success factor inUKAS’ ability to meet its increasinglychallenging business goals.
Within the HR Section we manage all aspects of HR Management from recruitment to retirement for all permanent staff. In addition all sub-contract third party assessors are contracted and paid via the AssessorResources Section which sits within HR.
As part of the HR business strategy wehave developed a Performance Management Process which encouragesmanagers and their teams to agree targets and objectives, identify trainingneeds and discuss behaviours. Each ofthese areas are seen as contributing toa rounded performance managementprocess, setting clear priorities of what‘doing the job well’ means at UKAS. It has assisted line managers and theirteams in agreeing how they will work together to sustain and build on existing performance.
We are currently developing a series of ‘soft skills’ training sessions to enable our people to carry out all aspects of their work to an excellentstandard and some of these training
sessions are offered to our externalcustomers and assessors. The externaltraining sessions are listed in the UKASTraining Brochure which can be downloaded from the UKAS websitewww.ukas.com/training
If you would like to speak to a memberof the HR team regarding a career atUKAS in either a permanent or sub-contract Assessor capacity please viewour vacancies on the UKAS website atwww.ukas.com/tools/Jobs_at_UKAS.aspor for any other aspect of HR pleasecontact the HR Team.
08 Update March 2010 www.ukas.com
Behind the scenes at UKAS
At UKAS we recognise that our people are one of our greatestassets. Finding the right people, keeping them motivated andproviding them with competitive benefits and working conditions are the key aims of the HR Team.
Debbie Bartlett, HR [email protected] 8914 8463
Gillian Wilson, HR [email protected] 8917 8424
Laura Duncan, HR [email protected] 8917 8477
Section Profile
The Human Resources Department
www.ukas.com Update March 2010 09
Following the successful launch of ISAS
at the United Kingdom Radiological
Congress (UKRC) 2009, UKAS will once
again be exhibiting at the UKRC from 7
to 9 June in Birmingham at the National
Indoor Arena and the International
Convention Centre.
Imaging services interested in the
scheme are encouraged to visit the
stand to find out about ISAS and to
discuss progress of the scheme since
the launch. Once again, regular
demonstrations of the web-based tool,
an integral element of the scheme, will
be showcased throughout the duration
of the event. The web-based tool is
only available to customers, so if you
would like to see a live demonstration,
please visit the UKAS stand.
UKAS is also pleased to announce an
Early Rise Session to take place at 8.30-
9.30am, Tuesday 8 June, at UKRC. This
session will look at the progress of ISAS
one year from the launch. We would
like to invite interested parties that
want to learn about the importance of
accreditation, and imaging services that
may want to apply for accreditation, to
attend the session, which will explore
how ISAS is helping imaging services to
deliver a patient focused service.
The session will include insightful
presentations delivered by key speakers.
Moderating and starting the session will
be Zena Mitton, former President of TheSociety and College of Radiographers.
Jane Beaumont, Accreditation Director,UKAS and Ethna Glean, AccreditationManager, UKAS will deliver a presentation
about the importance of accreditation
and the imaging scheme (ISAS). JulieRichards, from Plymouth HospitalsNHS Trust, will look at ISAS from an early
implementer’s view and their
accreditation journey since they
formally applied in 2009. Dr. MelanieHiorns, Great Ormond Street Hospitalfor Children NHS Trust, will explore ISAS
from the perspective of an ISAS Assessor.
At the end of the session delegates will
be given the opportunity to question
the panel.
If you would like to discuss ISAS, please
email Ethna Glean, Accreditation Manager ([email protected]).
For the latest news and information
about ISAS or about UKRC 2010 visit the
ISAS website www.isas-uk.org
Imaging Services AccreditationScheme (ISAS) to be showcasedat UKRC 2010
ISAS is the UK-wide Imaging Services Accreditation Scheme, which is patientfocused and independently assessed by UKAS against a quality enhancingstandard. Consequently accredited ISAS services will be well placed todemonstrate compliance with the new CQC registration requirements. Thescheme is available to public and private sector providers.
10 Update March 2010 www.ukas.com
New Appointments
Lorraine Turner
Jeff Ruddle
Divisional Director (Technical)
Lorraine Turner has been appointed Divisional Director (Technical) for UKAS reporting toGraham Talbot, Technical & External Affairs Director.
Lorraine joined UKAS in 1995 and for the last four years has held the post of Technical Manager;
prior to this she was the Accreditation Manager for the Chemistry Section following four years
as an Assessment Manager in its various guises of Technical Officer, Accreditation Officer and
Senior Accreditation Officer.
As a member of the UKAS Executive, Lorraine’s role will be to ensure the technical effectiveness of
established accreditation and assessment services, such that the market can have confidence
in and rely upon the technical competence of UKAS accredited and notified bodies. She will
also be responsible for identifying and implementing improvements to the technical content
of the service to the direct customer.
Divisional Director (Operations)
Jeff Ruddle has been appointed Divisional Director (Operations) for UKAS reporting to JaneBeaumont, Accreditation Director.
Jeff joined UKAS in June 2005 and for the last three years has held the post of Accreditation
Manager for the Environmental Chemistry Section; prior to this he was an Assessment Manager
in the Chemistry Section.
As a member of the UKAS Executive, Jeff’s role will be to ensure that UKAS’ established
accreditation and assessment services for testing, calibration, inspection, certification,
proficiency testing providers and reference material producers meet company objectives
and budgets.
Accredited certification to the Departmentof Health Information Standard
UKAS has awarded accreditation to five certification bodies for the delivery of certification to the new Department of HealthInformation Standard.
This standard stipulates criteria for organisations providing
written or scripted medical based patient information. The
accreditation pilot ran for 12 months with UKAS carrying
out a total of 10 witnessed assessments at a variety of
organisations. Throughout the pilot there was excellent
co-operation between all information providers, certification
bodies, the scheme owner and operator and UKAS.
There will be a public launch in the next few months
when the Information Standard logo will become more
visible to the general public.
Full details will be available in the next edition of Update.
www.ukas.com Update March 2010 11
UKAS’ participation in International Projects
Events
Electrical and Temperature 'meet' in Teddington
In addition to delivering a public portfolio of training courses, UKASparticipates in a range of international projects, working with partners to build and support the accreditation infrastructure ofoverseas organisations.
As part of a consortium including BSI and SWEDAC, UKAS has delivered a series of workshops and training courses in Egypt, coveringProficiency Testing, Uncertainty of Measurement, Assessor Training,Product Certification and Inspection, to support the ongoing development of the Egyptian Accreditation Council (EGAC). Thisproject will continue into 2010 with further workshops and trainingcourses delivered and, in addition, study visits will take place in the UK.
Over a 4 week period in August and September, a series of workshopsand training sessions on Accreditation and Assessing were deliveredto a delegation from the Saudi Arabian Standards Organisation(SASO). This included the delivery of a 4 day certification/standardsworkshop by BSI. Another 4 week workshop is planned to be held inApril 2010.
In October two one-day sessions on Preparation for Accreditationwere delivered to Haya Water in Oman.
In November, UKAS delivered a 6 day training course on ISO/IEC 17011:2004, Inspection and Assessment techniques to Inmetro, Brazil.
Every two years UKAS holds a meeting for electrical laboratories, assessors and potential applicants and clients.
This year we included items of technical interest in temperaturemeasurement such as cold junction compensation and fixed pointwork.
Nearly 100 people attended the UKAS Electrical and TemperatureDay at the National Physical Laboratory in Teddington. Two parallelstreams of talks were provided together with exhibition stands andsurgery style sessions with Assessment Managers and the Accreditation Manager for the Electrical, Physical and Thermal (EPT)Section at UKAS.
The last ever AVOmeter was made recently and was on display atthe meeting. A continuous stream of electrical technical devoteespaid homage to the end of an era!
Uncertainty of Measurement issues were tackled by, John Hurll, theUKAS author of M3003: The Expression of Uncertainty and Confidence in Measurement, which can be downloaded from theUKAS website.
Delegates at the UKAS Electrical and Temperature Day held at NPL
The next meeting is planned for December 2011.
12 Update March 2010
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]
Diary dates
The diary lists forthcoming national and international accreditation-related events of interestto our readers, as well as upcoming UKAS training courses. 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 October to December 2009:
Imposed total suspensions:
3 organisations
(1 laboratory, 1 certification body and
1 inspection body)
Imposed total withdrawals
1 organisation (laboratory)
The data does not include suspensions and
terminations that have been imposed for
non-payment of fees.
ConsultationsSince the last issue of Update, UKAS has responded
to the following Government consultations:
l Department of Health consultation on
the regulation of practitioners of
alternative medicines
April
14EA Executive [email protected]
15EA European Accreditation AdvisoryBoard (EAAB)[email protected]
14-16 Training CourseLaboratory ManagementCourse [email protected]
May
5 Training CoursePreparation for [email protected]
11ISAS Preparatory [email protected]
11-12 Training CourseUncertainty of Measurement – Calibration [email protected]
18-21 Training CourseCombined LaboratoryCourse [email protected]
19EA [email protected]
20-21EA General [email protected]
18-19 Training CourseLead Assessor Course [email protected]
19-21IAF Communication andMarketing Committee(CMC) and ILAC Marketingand Communications Committee (MCC)[email protected]
23 UKAS Policy Advisory [email protected]
24Delivering your 5% Savingin [email protected]
22-27Southern African Development CommunityAccreditation (SADCA)[email protected]
30-31 Training CourseLaboratory Internal AuditCourse [email protected]
31ISAS Preparatory [email protected]
March
2-3 Training CourseUncertainty of Measurement – Testing [email protected]
7-9ILAC-IAF Executive [email protected]
10ISAS Preparatory [email protected]
15-17 Training CourseAssessor Training ISO17025 [email protected]
