The need for investment in pulmonary rehabilitation services was identified by the NHS England Chief Scientific Officer and other key stakeholders in 2015.

Following this the RCP ran an accreditation pilot to look at the feasibility of launching a full programme for the sector. The pilot was funded by NHS England.

Feedback from those involved in the pilot showed that there was a belief that an accreditation programme would positively impact on patient experience and that the standards and assessment process would improve the quality of pulmonary rehabilitation services.

The aim of accreditation is to provide a quality assurance mechanism that will reassure patients and commissioners that service provision meets national standards.

PRSAS works in collaboration with the National Respiratory Audit Programme to ensure audit data is used to evidence good practice and facilitate quality improvement.