St James's Hospital Immunology Service has become the first immunology service in the Republic of Ireland to achieve accreditation through the Quality in Primary Immunodeficiency Services (QPIDS) programme, which is hosted by the Royal College of Physicians (RCP).
The achievement marks a significant milestone for immunology care in Ireland and recognises the service's commitment to delivering safe, effective and patient-centred care for adults and young people living with immunodeficiency.
The RCP-hosted QPIDS programme is a quality improvement (QI) and accreditation programme designed to support immunology services to benchmark themselves against nationally recognised standards, identify areas for continuous improvement and demonstrate the quality of care they provide.
Immunodeficiency services play a vital role in diagnosing, treating and supporting people whose immune systems do not function effectively. Through specialist assessment, ongoing monitoring, immunoglobulin replacement therapy and multidisciplinary support, these services help patients manage their condition, reduce the risk of serious infections, and improve their quality of life.
Accreditation provides assurance the immunology service at St James's Hospital has been independently assessed against quality standards. It also shares learning across Ireland as services continue to develop and strengthen care for people living with immunodeficiency.
Accreditation also offers confidence to patients that they are receiving care from a service that has been independently assessed and delivers evidence-based, patient-centred care. For services, it provides a structured framework to support improvement, promote consistency and demonstrate the quality and effectiveness of care.
After a site assessment in June 2025, the service worked closely with clinical and management colleagues to successfully meet the standards required for accreditation. The team was found to be hard-working, effective and cohesive, with medical, nursing, administrative and management staff all focused on delivering excellent patient care.
Dr Catherine King, consultant immunologist, St James’s Hospital, said:
‘We are thrilled to be the first Immunology department in the Republic of Ireland to achieve QPIDS accreditation. This is a goal that the entire department (nurses, doctors and administrators) have been diligently working towards over the last few years. QPIDS accreditation reflects our department’s commitment to best practice, high-quality care for patients with inborn errors of immunity who are amongst the most vulnerable in our society. We would strongly encourage and support our colleagues in other Immunology departments in Ireland pursuing this accreditation.’
Mary Day, chief executive, St James’s Hospital, said:
‘I am proud to congratulate our Immunology Department on becoming the first service in the Republic of Ireland to achieve QPIDS accreditation. This recognition reflects the team’s dedication to excellence, continuous improvement, and delivering the highest standards of care for patients, while also advancing our vision of a world-class Academic Health Science Campus. My sincere thanks and congratulations to everyone involved in this achievement.’
The assessment team highlighted several areas of good practice, including the service's dedication to continual improvement, strong multidisciplinary leadership and patient-centred approach, where patients spoke highly of the service and expressed appreciation for the care and support, they receive. Assessors also commended the team's proactive approach to service development, noting evidence of regular service review and improvement activity, such as taking action to strengthen administrative support and improve service delivery.
A particular strength identified during the accreditation process was the team's commitment to supporting young people transitioning from paediatric to adult services. Despite changes in local pathways, the service has maintained strong links with paediatric colleagues to ensure patients continue to receive high-quality, coordinated care.
This accreditation comes at a time when immunology services continue to face challenges, including increasing demand, the need for earlier diagnosis of complex conditions and ensuring equitable access to specialist care and treatment.
The 2023 patient experience survey from Immunodeficiency UK, Misunderstood and underserved, highlighted significant variation in the care received by people with primary and secondary immunodeficiency disorders (PID and SID) and made a series of recommendations. These included a recommendation that all primary immunodeficiency services work towards QPIDS accreditation to help reduce variation and ensure more consistent, high-quality care for patients.
The 2023 survey found that patients' experiences following diagnosis vary considerably depending on factors such as where they live and the healthcare professionals involved in their care. Achieving QPIDS accreditation would help promote more consistent, high-quality care for patients regardless of location.
QPIDS is delivered by the RCP in partnership with immunology healthcare professionals and patient representatives. The programme supports services to benchmark against recognised standards and drive continuous QI.
Dr Hilary Williams, RCP clinical vice president, said:
‘This is a significant achievement for St James's Hospital and an important moment for immunology care in Ireland. Accreditation recognises the service's commitment to QI and to delivering safe, effective and patient-centred care. It also shows what can be achieved when teams are supported to review their services against nationally recognised standards and use that insight to drive improvement.’
Dr Zuzanna Sawicka, clinical director for patient safety and clinical standards at the Royal College of Physicians, said:
‘For people living with complex, lifelong immunodeficiency disorders, high-quality care can be life changing. Accreditation programmes such as QPIDS help ensure that patients receive consistent, expert care wherever they are treated. St James’s Hospital’s achievement is a testament to the dedication of its team and demonstrates the standards of care we want to see recognised and replicated across the UK.’