Certification of Healthcare Centres and Units and Social Services
Our experts assess the quality of centres providing healthcare or social services.
ACSA offers several certification programmes aimed at bodies in different fields and different levels of care, ensuring the methodological rigour, technical independence, impartiality and confidentiality of the information.
Since its inception in 2003, ACSA has certified about 800 centres and units, extending its model to other European countries, as it is the case in Portugal, where ACSA currently has more than 100 active certification projects.
Certification of facilities or units is the result of a process that includes self-assessment and external assessment, in which qualified surveyors ensure the services provided by the relevant body to comply with the standards included in the reference manual.
What do we certify?
Healthcare Centres and Units
Full List
- Blood Establishments Certification Programme
- Centres and Units for Continuing Training Certification Programme
- Centres and Units for Diagnostic Imaging Certification Programme
- Clinical Laboratories Certification Programme
- Clinical Management Units Certification Programme
- Clinical Nutrition and Dietetics Units
- Community Pharmacy Certification Programme
- Early Child Care Services Certification Programme
- Emergency Services Certification Programme
- Haemodialysis Units Certification Programme
Social Services Centres
How to certify?
The process is dynamic and continuous and unfolds throughout 4 consecutive phases:
Phase 1 Beginning of the Process
After making the relevant request, an ACSA project manager is appointed as well as an internal person in charge within the applicant body to facilitate the development of the process and the communication between both parties.
Phase 2 Self-assessment
The organisation professionals carry out an exercise of internal analysis, detecting areas for improvement and identifying what is being done well (positive evidence).
Phase 3 Assessment
A team of qualified ACSA surveyors studies the self-assessment outputs and visits their facilities, analysing and acknowledging the present evidence (documents, interviews, direct observation) associated with the various elements of quality, strengths and areas for improvement. Then, depending on their compliance level, a Certification Committee will determine the degree of certification obtained.
Phase 4 Certification and Follow-up
Depending on the output of the assessment, ACSA awards its quality seal in three progressive levels: Advanced, Optimal or Excellent. This phase seeks to ensure compliance with the standards in time and therefore a certain level of quality. While the certification is valid, a follow-up visit is carried out.
General requirements
To learn more about the rules for the granting, maintenance and renewal of the certification of services you can refer to General Document for Certification of Centres, Health Units and Services.