Information for patients
What does PRSAS accreditation mean for patients?
PRSAS accreditation shows that a pulmonary rehabilitation service meets recognised quality standards. This means you can feel more confident that you will receive safe, high-quality care, wherever you access a PRSAS-accredited service in the country.
For the service, accreditation is a mark of achievement that demonstrates its commitment to providing excellent care. It can also help services secure funding and support future improvements, helping them grow and develop for patients.
Watch the video to find out more.
What does it mean if a service is not accredited?
Not having PRSAS accreditation does not mean that the service is of a poor quality or is unsafe. Some services have to work hard with PRSAS to secure the funding and support they need to meet the required standards for accreditation and PRSAS makes a clear distinction between services that are engaged in the process and those that are not. Some services meet the PRSAS standards in many ways but are unable to get accreditation as they are unable to meet certain aspects of the standards which may need a large amount of investment.
What should I do if I have a concern about a PRSAS accredited service?
The first thing you should do is take up your concern with the pulmonary rehabilitation service itself. Each organisation will have a complaints policy which will detail how you can raise concerns and who to escalate your concerns to if you are not satisfied with the response from the organisation. Some services may also have a Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) and they can often help you with your concerns. PRSAS does not typically investigate individual patient concerns or complaints.
How can I get involved?
Most services will have a patient group which provide opportunities for patients to get involved in the development of the service. Your service may also have volunteering opportunities. Furthermore, you may want to look into becoming involved with a patient charity; further information is available on the Asthma + Lung UK website.