Professional Body Accreditation

To gain ONF accreditation, your organisation must be registered with those professional accountancy bodies of which it employs qualified members and/or students, for both Continuing Professional Development (CPD) and Training purposes.

CIPFA

The One NHS Finance National Accreditation board have agreed that accreditation with CIPFA will no longer be compulsory under criterion 1.3.E, which covers the requirement for professional body accreditation. This was decided following the introduction of a fee by CIPFA to apply for their professional accreditation. Organisations wishing to secure CIPFA accreditation are still encouraged to do so.

CIMA

The CIMA Training & Development Quality Partner scheme is intended to recognise meaningful, embedded practice, rather than being viewed as a purely compliance‑based requirement. For staff, it brings clear benefits including structured study and progression support, and consistent processes for planning, recording and evidencing CPD, aligned to professional standards and organisational needs. This gives individuals greater confidence that their development and CPD requirements are being properly supported.  For organisations, Quality Partner status provides assurance that learning and development is embedded in everyday practice, supporting capability, retention and longer‑term workforce planning.

We therefore encourage organisations to engage with CIMA at an early stage and to approach accreditation status as a longer‑term partnership rather than a step aligned solely to Towards Excellence Accreditation timelines.