The global rating scale (GRS) for endoscopy has been used throughout the UK, Republic of Ireland and beyond to underpin all aspects of a high-quality endoscopy service including clinical quality, safety, patient experience, the environment and the workforce.
The GRS document itself contains the GRS standards, guidance and accreditation
evidence requirements for all adult services. Some standards
may not be relevant where a service is not delivered (for example,
providing an inpatient service); endoscopy services can mark this as
non-applicable where appropriate.
There are separate GRS documents for UK services and those in the Republic of Ireland. You can view both on our Resources page, (log in required).
A 2021 update to the GRS was been undertaken to:
> consider recent developments in endoscopy, including post-colonoscopy colorectal cancer (PCCRC), the National Endoscopy
Database (NED) and the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic
> have a greater focus on outcomes, to demonstrate the measurable
and tangible improvements that the standards deliver
> refine the standards where possible to make it easier for endoscopy
services to benchmark practice
> absorb the quality assurance standards (used during service
assessment) back into the GRS standards, to simplify the process
for services gaining accreditation.
>In 2024 the document was updated once again to include PEUGIC developments