Accreditation
Programme accreditation is an important part of our work as it provides a structured mechanism through which we, the public, education providers, employers, potential and current students/trainees be confident that a programme:
- provides learners with the skills, knowledge and behaviours that are needed
- considers the patient through out
- has had input by the public/patients in its development
- has taken an inclusive approach to the design of the programme
- is up to date and current
- enables learners to demonstrate that they meet our standards and be eligible to apply to join our Register accredited by the Professional Standards Authority
- has rigour assessment processes and standards
- has appropriate learning support
To achieve programme accreditation with us an education provider needs to demonstrate that the academic/training programme meets our Standards of Education and Training, Good Scientific Practice and the relevant Standards of Proficiency
Our accreditation processes are reviewed by the Professional Standards Authority on a regular basis.
See Complaints & Concerns for the process of how to appeal the result of an accreditation visit.
There are two routes to accreditation:
- Directly through our accreditation process, for example the new clinical exercise physiology programmes; or
- Through organisations who have a formal arrangement with us to accredit programmes on our behalf, such as the National School of Healthcare Science (NSHCS); the Institute of Medical Imaging, (IMI); the Genetic Counsellors Registration Advisory Board (GCRAB).
Further details about our accreditation process can be found in the AHCS Guidelines for Accreditation (January 2023) or by emailing . Graduates from accredited programmes are eligible to apply for registration. Accredited education providers for both routes are asked to submit pass lists on an annual basis to facilitate the registration process. More information can be found here.
We quality assure the accreditation process and subsequent annual monitoring processes undertaken by the NSHCS, IMI, and GCRAB by observing a sample of the accreditation visits and desk-based activities such as a review of processes, procedures and documentation. Where we undertake the accreditation process, a senior member of our staff, normally the Head of Accreditation is a member of the accreditation panel, and accredited programmes complete our annual monitoring requirements. More information on the AHCS annual monitoring and change notification processes can be found here .
Outcomes of all quality assurance activities are reported to our Education, Training and Standards Committee for consideration.
Our accreditation processes are reviewed by the Professional Standards Authority on a regular basis.
