Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust - Specialist Mobility Rehabilitation Centre

BS EN ISO 9001:2015 is a Quality Management Standard that provides an organisation with a process-based Quality Management structure on which it can define, plan, support, control, monitor and develop its services.



Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust - Specialist Mobility Rehabilitation Centre (SMRC) is based at Preston Business Centre in Preston, with 83 staff.

The service is managed by Dr Fergus Jepson Consultant in Rehabilitation Medicine and Sue Charlesworth, Speciality Business Manager.

The SMRC is part of the Surgery Division of Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust and is a pioneering centre of excellence in the provision of Specialist Mobility Rehabilitation Services, attracting the most experienced innovative clinicians.

Service users

Patient groups include adults who have suffered traumatic injuries, military veterans, those who have lost limbs due to complications from pre-existing conditions, patients with degenerative conditions and paediatric patients with complex needs.

Services provided

• Upper and lower limb pre- and post-operative prosthetic assessment, on-site manufacture, fitting and ongoing Orthotic assessment, procurement, fitting and ongoing monitoring and support.

• Wheelchair assessment, seating customisation and ongoing monitoring and support.

• Physiotherapy Services - to maximise patient mobility.

• Occupational Therapy Services – to maximise patient independence.

• Rehabilitation Gym.

• Counselling Services.

• Wig Services.

SMRC's journey with the ISO 9001 standard

The SMRC gained certification to the ISO 9001 standard in 1998 transferring to NQA as their Certification Body in 2016.



The benefits of having a BS EN ISO 9001:2015 compliant Quality Management System were outlined in an interview with Phil Purcell, SMRC Quality Manager:

“The benefits of the ISO 9001 certification to the SMRC have been to give the service the credibility and confidence to expand and to drive continual improvement in the way that we work.

It has enabled us to focus on service delivery and meeting patient needs and expectations. The system provides a structure and discipline to ensure consistent and uniform working and to minimise risk in line with the Trust Risk Management Strategy. It has enabled us to have the confidence to risk assess and bring previously outsourced services in-house and to manage the transition process.

The QMS has assisted in the planning and submission of funding bids and collaborative working with Healthcare Partners both within the Trust and externally. It emphasises the importance of internal communication and teamwork to achieve our objectives.

Having a QMS in place has also helped us manage our suppliers’ performance and take responsibility for our specific procurement needs in line with Trust Standing Financial Instructions. Establishing contracts under our own specific terms and conditions, specifying clear requirements and KPIs, including tariff-based income-generating contracts. It has also ensured that we robustly assess and manage the clinical risk of purchased equipment.

The QMS has enabled us to have a clear approach to reacting to emergencies and incidents in a consistent way, ensuring effective communication and maximising the benefit of any post-incident learning points.

It has also helped with our in-house IT System Development processes to provide a defined structure for project management.”



The benefits of independent assessment and certification from NQA, a UKAS Accredited Certification Body:

“The confidential independent audits against the ISO 9001:2015 standard, by experienced Health Sector Assessor Lynn Jones from NQA, provide a holistic approach to evaluating our activities against the requirements of the ISO 9001 standard and Trust and Regulatory requirements that we have integrated within in our policies, procedures and protocols.

We face constant challenges in providing services to patients and the independent External Audits add value by highlighting risks, areas of non-compliance and opportunities for improvement which informs our in-house monitoring processes.

The audits give us the discipline assurance and peace of mind that only a third-party audit can provide, helping us to drive our innovative service expansion programme.

We have found that the new requirements in the ISO 9001:2015 standard have improved our planning and communication processes.”