How the ECTAS Accreditation Works
It takes from 6 to 9
months from the time a service registers with the ECTAS programme
to the point of accreditation. Accreditation is completed in
three phases:
Phase 1: Self review
During this phase, the service
undertakes a series of activities, including distributing
staff, referring psychiatrist and patient questionnaires,
completing a review of case notes, an organisational checklist and
an audit of the environment. These enable the
multi-disciplinary team to review their local procedures and
practices against the standards and, if necessary, to make the
changes required to achieve accreditation. The self review period
is three months. A summary report of the results from the
self review forms the basis of the discussions at the peer review
visit.
Phase 2: Peer review visit by an external
team
The peer review visit takes
places 4 to 8 weeks after you have completed your self
review. A team, comprising of a Lead ECT Consultant
Psychiatrist, a Lead ECT Anaesthetist and a Lead ECT Nurse
undertakes the peer review visit, sometimes accompanied by a
member of the ECTAS team. In addition to validating your self
review, the peer review provides an opportunity for discussion,
sharing of ideas and for the visiting team to offer advice and
support.
Phase 3: Accreditation decision
Information from the self
and peer review is compiled into a summary report which is verified
by the peer review team and host team before being submitted to the
Accreditation Committee (AC). The AC includes nominated
representatives from the Royal College of Psychiatrists, Royal
College of Nursing and the Royal College of Anaesthetists. The
Committee makes a recommendation about the service’s accreditation
to the Royal College of Psychiatrists’ Special Committee for
Professional Ethics, as the awarding body.
There are 4 categories of
accreditation status:
- Accredited as excellent
- Accredited
- Accreditation deferred
- Not accredited
Services that cannot achieve
accreditation at the point of peer review are deferred for a time
limited period in which they must meet the necessary standards.
Accreditation is valid for
up to three years, subject to satisfactory completion of an
interim self review, to be completed after 18 months.
For a more detailed
description of our accreditation process click
here.
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