Last month, following a week long assessment by an independent reviewer, we are delighted to announce that the Health Academy has been re-awarded its Matrix Accreditation by the Department of Education.
The award, also known as the Matrix Standard, is a measure that ensures the delivery of high-quality information, advice and guidance (IAG) services that enable people to reach their full potential.
The Academy first received the accreditation in 2018 and was due for another reassessment under the three year review policy. This is the third time that the Department of Education have assessed the Health Academy, with their last visit being after the Pandemic in 2021.
After speaking with a number of colleagues, learners and trainers, the assessors were delighted with what they found across the Academy and reissued the accreditation.
Some of the areas of strength that were highlighted were:
- Positive and productive collaborative cross-team working, demonstrated both across the Academy’s own teams, but also with teams across both of the Trust’s hospital sites.
- External partnerships are also strong, with key partners describing the Academy as ‘pro-active and responsive’, and always willing to work collaboratively, taking a solutions focused approach to solving problems and challenges.
- An excellent and comprehensive range of IAG resources offered through a varied mix of blended learning to help increase accessibility, is on offer to learners as the Academy. This includes recently developed digital resources, such as interactive simulation suites where learners can role-play clinical procedures with interactive mannequins. Resources have been adapted in many cases to accommodate individual SEND learners, requiring individualised support.
- The Academy demonstrates a strong ‘self-awareness’ of both its strengths and improvement areas, and a deep-rooted commitment to continuous improvement is evidenced through several positive examples provided of the Academy acting on both learner and staff feedback. The Learner Improvement Forum, for instance, led to the development and production of the Learner Boards resource now on display in locations throughout both hospital sites.
About the Accreditation, Deputy Director of Education, Lauren O’Brien said:
‘We are absolutely delighted that we have successfully achieved re-accreditation. This is testament to our unwavering commitment to excellence and continuous improvement.
The re-accreditation process is rigorous, and our success reflects the dedication and hard work of our entire team. I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks to everyone who contributed to this achievement and to all staff who continue to provide such a high-quality experience for our learners and colleagues.’
