How can ISO certification help your care company?
ISO certified management systems can help you improve the quality of the care you provide, reduce costs and increase efficiency by reforming processes. ISO standards are easier to maintain and more affordable than many alternative programmes. Certification, including a detailed manual, will enable you to demonstrate to customers that you have implemented each standard fully.
Which ISO standards are best for my care company?
The ISO 9001 standard will provide you with a robust framework for an internationally recognised Quality Management System. It focuses on satisfying customer requirements, improving the effectiveness of processes and ensuring you provide a consistently high quality of care. This in turn can help you meet the requirements of the Care Quality Commission (CQC) outcomes.
Many companies in the care industry have already implemented the ISO 9001 standard because it enhances their ability to meet patients’ needs. The standard allows you to develop a management system that is appropriate to your structure, culture and processes. It will also help you drive continual improvements that benefit employees and patients.
The internationally recognised OHSAS 18001 standard is another great choice for care providers because it helps you manage health and safety risks across your organisation. By ensuring you run a safe working environment, you protect the wellbeing of employees and patients.
National statistics for Occupational Health & Safety record thousands of workplace injuries and illnesses in the care sector every year. These result in millions of lost working days, which cost the sector millions of pounds. Implementing the OHSAS 18001 health and safety standards will help you reduce such incidents in your organisation, so preventing costly disruptions to your business.
The third ISO standard we recommend for care industry organisations is the ISO 27001 Information Security Management System (ISMS). Gaining ISO 27001 certification can help you improve your record keeping, protect patient data and reduce threats to your business. The standard’s framework provides a systematic process for collecting, storing, sharing and managing confidential data, which ensures you comply with all relevant data protection legislation.
What are the benefits of certification?
From efficient processes and lower costs to continual improvement in your services, the ISO standards can give your care business a distinct competitive advantage. Other benefits include:
- Efficient, high quality patient care
- Effective risk management
- Legal and regulatory compliance
- Best practice processes and procedures
- Fewer accidents, illnesses and business disruptions
- Enhanced reporting to identify areas for improvement
- Public recognition of your commitment to continual improvement in patient care
- Better employee training delivering improved levels of customer service.
Don’t just take our word for it – read these customer testimonials
“We have gained new national contracts as well as acceptance from some clients who insisted on their suppliers having ISO certification. Internally, it has definitely given us a good framework to build on and strengthened our processes. We would definitely recommend QMS to other businesses and would like to work with them again on putting more systems in place.”
– Raise Healthcare Pvt Ltd
“ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 have enabled us to tender successfully for NHS and Council Contracts where ISO requirements were part of the tendering process.”
– Transcare Services UK Ltd
How do we become ISO certified?
QMS has developed a simple and cost-effective 3-stage certification process. This means you could achieve certification in less than 45 days. Our consultants have extensive business experience, enabling them to support you through the entire certification process. They can even write your Management System Manual for you.