2025 has been a successful year for the IQAS programme, with incredible progress made by our community of allergy services. With 33% of 30 registered services having achieved accreditation, continuing their accreditation cycle – a testament to the hard work and commitment of all services.
Supporting and celebrating our services
This year, we delivered 14 training and support sessions and worked closely with accredited services to guide others through the accreditation process. A key highlight was hosting our first resident doctor workshop, providing a supportive environment for resident doctors to develop audits and quality improvement projects – an essential component of accreditation and evidence requirements.
We had a fantastic joint celebration for the anniversary of the IQAS and QPIDS accreditation programmes, at the RCP in London. The event celebrated key milestones, patient-centred care, and future plans for allergy and immunology services across the UK. Attendees included clinicians, nurses, patient representatives, and past programme leads whose work laid the foundation for today’s programme. The morning sessions gave IQAS and QPIDS assessors the opportunity to share insights from service assessments, whilst the evening showcased the outstanding contributions of key stakeholders over the years.
As IQAS marks its 10th anniversary and QPIDS celebrated 25 years, one message stood out: quality improvement is a journey, not a destination. These programmes demonstrate what can be achieved when clinicians, patients, and professional bodies work towards a shared vision – better care for all.
Staying relevant
Accreditation standards are reviewed every five years, and in 2025 IQAS underwent it's scheduled review. With input from a highly engaged working group of colleagues across the UK and ROI, we undertook a detailed review and agreed on changes following a period of public consultation. The revised accreditation standards launched on 1 October 2025, and we look forward to supporting services with assessments under the previous standards and guiding self-assessments under the new framework.
Our IQAS clinical lead's service, University Hospitals Of Leicester NHS Trust – Leicester Allergy Service, will be the first to complete a site assessment against the revised standards during its reaccreditation in 2026, and we look forward to hearing their journey. With the launch of these standards, we will also review and update the resource library to ensure you have everything needed for your self-assessment.
Looking ahead
In October 2025, NHS England published its service specification for specialist adult allergy services, which states:
Please contact us if you would like any support in implementing this within your service.
Stay connected with us through our newsletters for programme updates throughout the year.
Thank you for being part of this community — your commitment and hard work are truly making a difference.