Accreditation of independent care home inspections launched by UKAS

The UK’s first accreditation service has been launched by The United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS), allowing private organisations to perform care home inspections to RDB Star Rating Ltd.

The accreditation scheme allows private organisations to inspect adult social care services with the aim to improve standards of care.

RDB Star Rating is the first organisation to receive accreditation for inspections of residential care homes.

Speaking about the accreditation, managing director of RDB Star Rating, Sue Brand said: “RDB Star Rating was established in 1997 to develop an independent assessment system specifically for the Care Sector, to identify and promote ‘quality’ providers to the public and to drive up standards.

“Over the last two years we have been working closely with UKAS and are delighted to have achieved this award. We feel it will give great reassurance to both the public and quality providers.”

The accreditation follows the success of a pilot that began in 2013 and will continue until all organisations, are assessed and a report has been completed. Other pilot participants include Healthcare Management Solutions Ltd and CHKS and are expected to complete their assessments by the end of this year.

RDB Star Rating were assessed by UKAS for impartiality, competence and performance, against international standards ISO/IEC 17020:2012, standards required by organisations performing inspections.

Professor Martin Green, chief executive of Care England, commented: “The RDB Star Rating has been at the forefront of measuring quality in residential care services for many years.

“The news that this excellent scheme has been accredited by UKAS, gives the general public, and care providers, an independently accredited view of quality. At a time when the quality of care services is constantly being scrutinised, and RDB Star Rating, is an independently accredited and universally acclaimed mark of quality.“

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is considering how to use the results of UKAS accredited inspections when monitoring care homes.

Chief executive of UKAS, Paul Stennett said: “Congratulations to all the staff at RDB Star Rating on becoming the first residential care home inspection organisation to achieve UKAS accreditation. This will help generate confidence in both the quality of the inspection services it provides, and the quality of care offered by the residential care homes it inspects.”