A liver service based at the University Hospital of North Tees is celebrating achieving Level 1 ‘Improving Quality in Liver Services’ (IQILS) accreditation, as part of its commitment to providing quality care for its patients.
Led by the Royal College of Physicians (RCP), IQILS was first established in 2017, to ensure equality in the standards of care delivered to patients with liver disease across the country.
The liver service team has long demonstrated strong clinical practice, with clear pathways and responsibilities for liver care. This existing structure placed the team in a strong position when they began the formal accreditation process in 2023.
Following a detailed period of evidence gathering, service review, and quality improvement work, the team was officially awarded its Level 1 accreditation in May.
Dr Rebecca Dunn, consultant gastroenterologist, said “We’re thrilled that our liver service has been successful in obtaining its Level 1 accreditation following hard work by everyone in our team to strengthen some key areas of our service delivery.
“As part of the process, we have worked to improve access to online patient resources, introduced quarterly meetings to review care and formalised quality assurance processes as part of this process.
“Achieving Level 1 is a fantastic milestone, but we don’t want to rest there. We are committed to going further and delivering the highest possible standard of care for our patients.”
The service has already begun the next stage of its journey, working towards its Level 2 accreditation. This involves further development of the service, including enhanced patient information, strengthened governance processes such as regular multidisciplinary meetings, and a formal site visit and assessment within the next 12 months.
Rebecca continues: “I think its important this progression is part of a wider ambition to ensure we hold Level 2 across the University Hospitals Tees group.
“The James Cook University Hospital was already successful its Level 2 accreditation and reaching the same standard will help us to ensure patients receive the same high-quality care, regardless of where they are treated.”
Achieving Level 2 would place the University Hospital of North Tees, amongst only 18 other liver services in the country.