The Labour Standards Assurance Scheme – LSAS was designed by the National Health Service Supply Chain (NHS SC), in conjunction with the Departments of Health and Industry bodies and covers new ethical requirements for its suppliers. The objective of the LSAS scheme is to reduce the risk of labour standard abuses within the supply chain going on undetected and/or without resolution.

The scope of the scheme currently covers suppliers of surgical equipment and instruments, such as scissors, footwear, clothing, to name but a few. Although the scope of the scheme is limited, NHS SC are looking to expand compliance to other areas within the supply chain portfolio.

There are four levels of LSAS Maturity which are; Level 1* (Foundation), Level 2 (Implementation), Level 3 (Established) and Level 4 (Progressive)

*Suppliers must be audited to Level 1 as a minimum before NHS Trusts can purchase supplies through NHS SC.

In order to be approved to conduct these audits a certification body needs to be accredited by Social Accountability Accreditation Services (SAAS) against the requirements of SA 8000, Social Accountability Systems. GCL INTL are one of only a very small number of certification bodies authorised to carry out audits against the NHS Direct Labour Standards Assurance System, commonly known as LSAS.

The approach taken by competent GCL INTL lead auditors is one of working with clients in order to achieve objectives. This approach is quite different from other accredited management system schemes where the lead auditor is not allowed to be involved in the design of the corrective action.

For organisations who already hold an accredited certificate for another management system standard and where the requirements of LSAS have been integrated within the other management system(s) then it may be possible to make a discount on fee levels.

Should you wish to receive any additional information on the LSAS scheme or have a visit from one of our competent lead auditors please contact us by phone on 0845 548 9001 or by email at enquiry@gcl-intl.com