Accreditation was suspended in the latter stages of the restructuring and will be opening again in the near future for new applications as well as to those needing to re-accredit. The accreditation process was introduced as a means of providing an internal confirmation process for full members undertaking a response role, primarily within affiliated schemes. Available to all full members, upon application, accreditation is a benchmark enshrined within the 2015 AACE guidance to ambulance services regarding the use of volunteer scheme responders.

The process has now been reviewed and has become a more robust process. Those members currently accredited via the previous system remain so and should re-accredit within the new guidance in the normal time frame of their current accreditation.   Whilst on first sight the new accreditation process is likely to be off-putting, in reality and for many, it is in fact very achievable with local verification.  The accreditation process draws upon the same evidence that will contribute towards an individuals submission for periodic revalidation with their respective regulatory body where that is required.

The accreditation process outlined

All members seeking accreditation must have been registered with a licence to practice for 5-years and have either training or experience specific to the pre-hospital care environment. There is also a requirement for CPD activity alongside evidence of pre-hospital experience within the previous 3-years to applying. Applicants must also have professional indemnity insurance for their pre-hospital practice and be working within a system with appropriate governance and oversight of the individual’s practice.

For members working or volunteering within schemes and organisations such as NHS Trusts, the military or one of the voluntary bodies, written confirmation from the scheme chair or other suitable person confirming the applicant’s credentials will generally be all that is required for accreditation/re-accreditation to be granted.  It should be noted that where a query remains or as part of the overall QA processes some applicants may be required to submit their portfolio and evidence for central verification.