This article is taken from the Summer 2014 issue of LymphLine, the LSN's quarterly newsletter available to all LSN members.
For details of how to become a member, click here.
LSN awarded Information Standard quality mark recertification
Long-standing members of the LSN will know how proud we were to have achieved the Information Standard quality mark three years ago. The scheme, which is endorsed by the Department of Health, was established
to help people recognise quality health information and the LSN was one of the first organisations to be recognised when the scheme was launched. Part of the scheme involves organisations being reassessed every three years. The Information Standard looks not at individual pieces of information but at the way the information is written, researched and reviewed.
There are 6 separate clauses that organisations have to prove they fulfil and each of these clauses is scrutinised
in great detail. They range from the qualifications of our authors, the research that backs up our work, the ways we document what information we produce and how we ensure it is kept up to date. The LSN was confident that our information was being produced at the highest level possible, but none the less, being scrutinised against the standards did cause a frisson of nerves. The reassessment involved sending samples of our information to an external body for a ‘critical review’ and then a representative from the Royal Society for Public Health spending a day with the LSN examining all our policies, procedures, the types of information we produce and talking to Trustees, staff and volunteers involved in information production.
The possible outcomes were a full recertification, a deferred recertification, where we would have 28 days to correct any minor problems that had been identified and a failure to reach recertification standards. These possible outcomes
are identified as green, amber and red statuses. We were very encouraged when our external examiner gave us a full house of green lights and commented that our information was of ‘good quality, accurate and consistent with current medical knowledge and practice’, but we still had a lot to prove to our visiting assessor. We were warned once again, that it was most unusual for an organisation to pass the process on first visit and realistically, by the end of the day, we should hope to be at a point where we were aware of any amber points, when we would be given 28 days to correct them or lose the mark.
The day was very taxing but the outcome was outstanding. Despite her warnings, once again the LSN was found to have no red or amber points and her final report commented on our excellence in several areas including proof reading and peer and user review. As such, the LSN will proudly continue to display
the quality mark and you can be assured that the information you receive is of the highest standard.
|
