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Use our interactive tracker to see if treatment waits are getting better at your local hospital.

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Mountain Healthcare has become the first Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC) in the UK to achieve accreditation from The United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) to ISO 15189:2022, the international medical laboratories standard.

This accreditation represents the formal recognition of the quality and competence of forensic medical examinations undertaken at Mountain Healthcare’s Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire SARCs.  It encompasses a range of SARC services including patient preparation and examination, the collection, transportation, protection and storage of samples, as well as the subsequent interpretation and reporting of results; all within overarching safety and ethical considerations.

The granting of the first UKAS accreditation to a SARC service provider marks the successful culmination of a multi-year development project, reflecting the considerable commitment of a wide range of dedicated sector stakeholders to meet the specialist needs of both patients and clinicians.  Explaining the significance of the award, Angela Shaw, Director of Forensics at UKAS said: “UKAS accreditation provides assurance to some of the most vulnerable members of our society by underpinning confidence in the competence and integrity of the services they are receiving.  This now applies throughout this very sensitive area of the criminal justice system; from the initial specialist patient care and collection of evidence at SARCs, right the way through to longer-term well-being support from accredited organisations such as The Survivors Trust.”

The Forensic Science Regulator (FSR) has stipulated that all SARC service providers must achieve UKAS accreditation for the forensic examination process, with several SARCs currently in the latter stages of the accreditation assessment process.  To give SARCs guidance on the requirements of both ISO 15189 and the FSR’s Code of Practice, UKAS implemented an assisted application process and continues to run series of workshops.

The post UKAS accredits first Sexual Assault Referral Centre to ISO 15189:2022 appeared first on UKAS.

For inspection organisations, confidence and consistency are fundamental. ISO/IEC 17020 underpins how inspection bodies operate, how impartiality and competence are demonstrated, and how trust in inspection outcomes is maintained. When revisions, clarifications or shifts in interpretation occur, the impact is felt not just at a system level, but in day-to-day inspection practice.

Periods of transition inevitably raise important questions. How should requirements now be interpreted? What does good implementation look like in practice? Where does professional judgement sit alongside documented procedures?

These are critical considerations, particularly given the varied and often high-risk environments in which inspection bodies operate.

Why transition creates risk as well as opportunity

Transition points introduce risk when understanding is inconsistent or incomplete. Differences in interpretation, uncertainty around assessor expectations, or partial implementation can lead to misalignment within organisations and across inspection activities.

At the same time, transition periods offer an opportunity to strengthen systems, clarify understanding and improve consistency. Organisations that approach transition proactively are better placed to maintain confidence during assessment and beyond.

Crucially, successful transition is rarely achieved through documentation review alone. While updating procedures is necessary, it does not always address the practical questions that inspection personnel face when applying requirements in real-world situations.

The importance of shared understanding

Inspection work relies heavily on professional judgement and transition training plays a vital role in developing this shared understanding. By exploring how requirements are interpreted and assessed in practice, training helps inspection professionals:

• Clarify the intent behind revised or clarified requirements

• Understand how changes may affect inspection planning and delivery

• Reduce uncertainty and variation in interpretation

• Align internal understanding with assessment expectations

This shared perspective supports consistency across inspection teams and helps ensure that changes are embedded effectively, rather than superficially.

Preparing for assessment with confidence

One of the most common challenges during transition is uncertainty around how changes will be viewed during assessment. Transition training that reflects real assessment experience helps inspection organisations prepare with greater confidence.

By focusing on application rather than theory alone, this type of learning supports inspection bodies in:

• Identifying where changes genuinely affect practice

• Understanding areas of increased scrutiny

• Strengthening internal discussions and decision-making

• Demonstrating confidence and assurance during assessment

Supporting effective transition through learning

UKAS Academy supports inspection organisations through transition-focused learning that reflects how ISO/IEC 17020 is applied and assessed in practice. Transition training is designed to help organisations move beyond awareness of change, towards confident and consistent implementation.

Engaging with structured transition learning allows inspection professionals to test understanding, explore scenarios and ask practical questions in a supported environment. This supports a smoother transition and helps embed changes in a way that strengthens long-term capability.

Moving forward

Transition is not simply a compliance exercise; it is a critical point in maintaining trust, assurance and credibility. For inspection organisations, investing time in targeted ISO/IEC 17020 transition training can make the difference between uncertainty and confidence, between reactive change and assured implementation.

Approaching transition as a learning opportunity — supported by training grounded in real inspection and assessment practice — helps ensure that inspection bodies remain robust, consistent and well-prepared as expectations continue to evolve.

ISO/IEC 17020:2026 training booking from the end of April

To learn more about transition training with the UKAS Academy or the ISO/IEC 17020:2026 Awareness course with dates from the end of April visit our Inspection training courses page.

The post Building confidence through change: ISO/IEC 17020 revisions appeared first on UKAS.

The non-hormonal daily pill could benefit 500,000 women for whom HRT is not suitable.

The non-hormonal daily pill could benefit 500,000 women for whom HRT is not suitable.

The non-hormonal daily pill could benefit 500,000 women for whom HRT is not suitable.