After the survey, the strands of the report will be gathered together, formatted and sent to you as soon as possible. This is usually within a month of the end of the survey. There will be more detail on the survey findings, recommendations, and commendations that you may share with your Board and section leads.

The Accreditation Award Panel meets several times a year and comprises independent and very senior members of health care and allied professions in the UK. It is the job of the panel to carefully review the content of the report and question the lead surveyor where necessary. We encourage you to attend the meeting if at all possible so that you can fully appreciate the integrity and transparency of the process.

The Accreditation Award Panel will make one of three decisions:

• Full accreditation awarded for two years


• Conditional accreditation usually awarded for one year subject to review at that time


• Accreditation not awarded (this is uncommon)

When full accreditation is granted, you will be provided with a Certificate at the meeting.