Every organisation successfully accredited or re-accredited will undergo a Continuous Improvement Check. These checks are conducted 12 and 24 months after your last assessment or review.​

Preparation

The Continuous Improvement Check will be undertaken remotely to allow flexibility.  Your Assessor will send a Self-Reflection document detailing the Areas for Continuous Improvement identified at your last assessment and you can add further development areas if appropriate.

You will be asked to comment/report on these areas and your Assessor will arrange a time to discuss these with you.​

Your Assessor may also ask for any supporting evidence to reflect upon as part of the review. This could include the Self Assessment Review, Quality Improvement Plan, internal action plans and audit information. Feedback outcomes where applicable can also be used to inform and build on the discussions.​

During Your Continuous Improvement Check

Your Assessor will:​

• Discuss any issues or changes or challenges your organisation may have faced over the last year, which have impacted on your progress.​
• Discuss and reflect on what has been completed against the Areas for Continuous Improvement and progress against these. This discussion will be open and supportive and encourage dialogue.​
• Focus on the future and discuss any improvements that may be needed to address challenges.
• Signpost to any further support you might need such as advice or workshops.

It is acceptable, and demonstrates ownership and commitment to Continuous Quality Improvement, for organisations to identify additional development areas, which you wish to discuss. It is also possible that on reflection or following changes within the organisation, that previously identified areas are no longer appropriate as long as there are valid, reliable reasons for this.​

Outcome

Your Assessor will make a judgment on sufficiency and relevance of the evidence of Continuous Quality Improvement provided by the organisation in a similar way as to that which they use to make judgements when accrediting against the Standard at the assessment stage. This will include decisions on sufficiency, currency, validity and impact/outcomes.​

The result of the discussion will be provided to us reflecting on what has been discussed and agreed as action for the focus of the next Continuous Improvement Check or Review Assessment.​

The above approach is repeated at the 24-month stage although this Continuous Improvement Check will also have an increased focus on preparing your organisation for the next accreditation review.​