Sleep service accreditation program
29 May 2020
The joint ASA/NATA accreditation program for Sleep Disorders Services began in 2012 as a continuation of the ASA accreditation scheme which had been running for many years.
As a joint program, the ASA have created the Standard for Sleep Disorders Services, while NATA conduct and administer the accreditation scheme.
To date, 73 services have gained accreditation, including facilities in Australia, New Zealand and Singapore.
Over the last few months NATA has received a large number of enquiries from sleep laboratories interested in commencing the accreditation process. NATA welcomes the increased volume of requests and encourages all facilities to review the ASA Standard, as well as the list of related accreditation documents on the NATA website.
There are a number of challenges involved in achieving a quality service (Quality Manuals, Internal Audits, Proficiency Testing etc.), and whilst they cannot consult, NATA staff are able to discuss these issues with services at any stage on their path to accreditation.
There are numerous benefits to gaining accreditation, including:
- providing objective, independent attestation that your sleep service is competent to carry out testing in accordance with the ASA Standard for Sleep Disorders Services
- building your service and organisation's credibility
- building confidence for patients and referrers that your service can produce reliable data on which to make patient management decisions
- increased staff satisfaction
- providing a competitive advantage by recognition as a high quality service.
NATA is a not-for-profit organisation, and opening in 1947 was the world’s first accreditation service for laboratories. Dedicated to ensuring quality laboratories in Australia, NATA also provide a number of training courses. The Internal Audits and Quality Management in the Laboratory courses have been popular with sleep service staff, and both can be delivered online.
If your facility is considering accreditation in the near future, or if you would like to discuss the benefits of a NATA course, please contact one of NATA’s dedicated Sleep Disorders Services staff below.
NATA Melbourne Office: ph 03 9274 8200
Ms Janet Copland
Mr Ash Howlett