I have been working with Elemental Healthcare on behalf of ConsultQA to transition the existing ISO 9001:2008 quality management system and ISO 14001:2004 environmental management system to meet the requirements of the 2015 standards. The two management systems were separate, and each had a lengthy manual along with other supporting documentation.

It was critical for Elemental Healthcare to transition to the new standards as a key customer is the NHS which requires the supply chain to demonstrate their commitment to quality and environmental performance through certification.

Elemental Healthcare are promoting a selection of Laparoscopic Instruments which are called ‘resposable’ and enable hospitals to improve their own environmental performance (and reduce their costs) by reducing clinical waste to incineration or landfill. Resposable products have reusable elements (such as a handle) with only the consumable part (such as a clip or scissor used in surgery) being incinerated or landfilled. This was an unusual positive environmental impact to include in an environmental management system and demonstrates how one company can positively influence environmental performance of customers.

We reviewed all the existing documentation, fully integrated the management system into normal business operations and were very pleased to find out that Elemental Healthcare had passed their transition audit by Alcumus ISOQAR with flying colours and no non-conformances or observations. I worked closely with the Office and HR Manager during the project and was thrilled to receive the following testimonial:

"It was a pleasure to work with Helen on our transition project. Helen’s advice, guidance and her ability to quickly understand our business and challenges has resulted in our numerous and mostly irrelevant documents, provided by a previous QMS company, being completely revised in line with the new 2015 standards. We now have a Quality and Environmental Management system that is easy to understand, relevant to our business and is firmly embedded within our day to day operations.

Thank you Helen."