As the festive season arrives, it provides a wonderful opportunity to pause and look back on what has been a truly remarkable year for CHEC. From expanding our clinical reach to receiving national recognition for our workplace culture, 2025 has been defined by growth, excellence, and a shared commitment to our patients. None of these achievements would be possible without the trust of our patients, the collaboration of our partners, and the tireless dedication of the entire CHEC family. Expanding Our Care This year, we took significant steps to ensure that high-quality, community-based healthcare is more accessible than ever. We were proud to: Launch our Dermatology service, bringing specialist skin care to the heart of the community. Launch our ENT (Ear, Nose, and Throat) services, addressing vital patient needs. Extend our Gastroenterology service, further strengthening our diagnostic and treatment capabilities. Celebrate a milestone in the North East, where our Newcastle Gateshead site welcomed its 5,000th patient. Making a Measurable Impact The scale of our work this year reflects our mission to reduce waiting times and provide efficient, compassionate care. Across our community hospitals, we have achieved: AchievementImpact in 2025Total Patient Appointments514,024Total Patients Treated219,252CPD Points Awarded5,905University Placement Days531 Beyond the numbers, our presence in the wider healthcare community remained strong. We hosted 32 events and exhibited at 27 others, ensuring we stay at the forefront of clinical innovation and professional development. Award-Winning Excellence We are incredibly proud that our efforts to provide a world-class environment for both patients and staff have been recognised by prestigious bodies. This year, CHEC was honoured with: Best Specialist Care Provider 2025 at the Business Brilliance & Healthcare Awards. HSJ Independent Healthcare Provider Shortlist for Best Provider of Community and Primary Care. Three People Awards: Accreditations from Great Places to Work, Thrive at Work, and Investors in People. These accolades are a testament to our team’s hard work and our belief that a supported, engaged workforce is the key to delivering outstanding patient outcomes. Looking Ahead to 2026 As we step into the new year, our commitment to delivering excellent healthcare remains steadfast. We look forward to another year of clinical advancements and improving lives through our core specialisms in Ophthalmology, Dermatology, ENT, and Gastroenterology. To our colleagues, partners, and patients: thank you for being part of our journey. We wish you a healthy and happy festive period and look forward to continuing to make a difference together in 2026. It’s a landmark moment for CHEC Worthing as the hospital celebrates a significant milestone: the successful launch of their gastroenterology service and the welcoming of its very first endoscopy patient. This expansion marks a major step in the hospital’s commitment to delivering vital, high-quality NHS care closer to the local community. CHEC is already a trusted provider of NHS services, including Ophthalmology, Dermatology, and ENT (Ear, Nose, and Throat). The newly launched service now fully integrates comprehensive Gastroenterology services into its offering. Bringing Specialist Care Closer to Home The introduction of endoscopy procedures at CHEC Worthing is not just an expansion of services; it represents an innovative shift in healthcare delivery. Nimzing Ladep, CHEC’s Clinical Director of Gastroenterology, highlighted the broader vision: “CHEC Worthing’s first endoscopy procedure marks a pivotal step in bringing specialist care closer to patients. By shifting from hospital to community settings, we’re not only reducing carbon footprints but also embracing innovation aligned with the NHS’s vision for sustainable, accessible healthcare.” A Day of Pride and Professionalism The atmosphere during the first list was electric with pride and professionalism. The team ensured every patient had a smooth, comfortable, and reassuring experience. Sallie Laing, CHEC Worthing Hospital Manager, shared the team’s excitement: “What a fantastic first list! I am incredibly proud of everyone at CHEC; we had very happy patients walking out the door!” This dedication to patient experience was reinforced by Alicia Pompon, CHEC Community Partner: “I’m really proud of our fantastic team at CHEC Worthing today, creating a happy, welcoming and professional atmosphere for our first Endoscopy patients. Ensuring patients know they’re in perfectly capable hands with their healthcare needs.” The flawless execution of the first endoscopy list is a clear testament to the hard work, rigorous training, and dedication of the entire CHEC Worthing team. It proves their ability to integrate complex new services while maintaining the high standards of care the community expects. Improving Access and Reducing Waiting Times The launch of endoscopy services is fantastic news for the region. It means patients will benefit from increased access to vital diagnostic and therapeutic procedures, helping to ease the pressure on local resources. This crucial expansion will play a key role in reducing waiting times and ensuring people receive the timely checks and treatments they need for their digestive health. Next Steps for Healthcare Professionals If you are a healthcare professional and would like to learn more about how CHEC can support your patients with Gastroenterology or any of our other NHS services (Ophthalmology, Dermatology, or ENT), our dedicated team is ready to help. To discover how CHEC can benefit your patients and their healthcare needs, please contact your Community Partner who will be happy to assist. This successful launch is a brilliant step forward for CHEC Worthing and, most importantly, for the health and accessibility of care for the local community. We’re absolutely thrilled to announce a significant partnership for the 2025 academic year! CHEC is proud to be collaborating with the University of Hertfordshire to offer vital, real-world clinical placements to their third-year Optometry students. A Commitment to the Next Generation This year, over 35 students will be embedded directly into a busy, high-volume cataract hospital setting at our CHEC Stevenage facility. This isn’t just about ticking a box; it’s about providing an unparalleled level of hands-on expertise. By placing the next generation of eye care professionals right at the heart of our operations, we’re ensuring they gain the practical knowledge and clinical acumen needed to meet tomorrow’s complex eye health challenges. This initiative is a cornerstone of CHEC’s active commitment to shaping the future of ophthalmology. We believe that by investing in high-quality, real-world training today, we are fostering the talent that will drive clinical excellence and innovation in the UK’s eye care sector for years to come. Clinical Director of Ophthalmology at CHEC, Mahmoud Rabie shared “At CHEC, we believe that the future of eye care depends on how well we support the clinicians of tomorrow. This partnership with the University of Hertfordshire reflects our commitment to providing meaningful, hands-on clinical exposure within real patient pathways – not just observation, but true participation and learning. CHEC Clinical Director for Ophthalmology, Mahmoud Rabie The enthusiasm and curiosity shown by these students has been exceptional, and we are proud to play a role in helping them build the confidence, skills, and clinical judgment that will shape the next generation of ophthalmic care in the UK.” Amy Notschild, CHEC Stevenage Hospital Manager Enthusiasm and Engagement at CHEC Stevenage The energy and commitment from the students at our Stevenage facility have been truly inspiring. Amy Notschild, CHEC Stevenage Hospital Manager, shared her positive experience: “It has been a pleasure to welcome 3rd year optometry students from the University of Hertfordshire. Their enthusiasm for knowledge has been evident, with a desire to observe each of our clinics, including cataract surgeries. It is highly rewarding to provide this opportunity to students who are eager to pursue a career in Optometry and share our vision of helping the local community.” This practical exposure is clearly resonating with the students. Mutual Thrills and Shared Vision The excitement for this partnership is shared, as evidenced by the University of Hertfordshire’s enthusiasm: “The University of Hertfordshire is thrilled to be collaborating with CHEC to offer our optometry students placement opportunities that will enrich their clinical experience and prepare them for a successful future in eye care. This partnership reflects our shared commitment to excellence, innovation, and nurturing the next generation of healthcare professionals.” Students Eager to Return! The success of the placements is already evident! We are delighted that even before the full cohort has completed their time with us, two of the students have already asked to return to CHEC for further learning. This eagerness to continue their education at our facility speaks volumes about the quality of the clinical experience and the supportive learning environment we offer. It’s a fantastic sign that we are truly inspiring and developing the eye care leaders of tomorrow. We’re thrilled to play our part and look forward to a successful academic year with the University of Hertfordshire students! Are you interested in organising placements for your students? Please get in touch with education@chec.uk for placement support across Medical and Optometry Courses. Amy Notschild, Hospital Manager at CHEC’s Stevenage and Watford sites, has built a career around her passion for healthcare, a journey that began with a part-time job as a teenager and has culminated in her managing two of CHECs busiest sites. In a recent interview, Amy shared her remarkable story, highlighting her love for helping patients and her pride in what CHEC has achieved for local communities. The Journey: From GP Surgery to Hospital Manager Amy’s career path is a testament to the power of commitment and a clear sense of purpose. Her journey began with a part-time job in a GP surgery while she was still at school, a role she maintained through her undergraduate and master’s degrees. “I’ve always been a worker,” she says, and it was this early experience that cemented her love for healthcare. She admits she initially thought about becoming a PE teacher, a nod to her love for sports education, but her time in the GP surgery changed her mind. “I realised that I loved the NHS and I loved that job,” she explains. This early exposure to patient care fuelled her passion, leading her to pursue a master’s degree in clinical exercise physiology. She found that her studies and her work “really complimented each other,” giving her a deeper understanding of the “physiological understanding of the things that were actually happening.” After gaining experience in private healthcare, Amy found herself missing the direct impact of working with NHS patients. “I really missed that feeling of helping NHS patients, because they really need us, it’s a bit more rewarding, a bit more satisfying than it was during the private assessments,” she reveals. The opportunity to become a Hospital Manager at a brand new CHEC hospital in her hometown of Stevenage was, for her, the perfect next step. The CHEC Experience: Rapid Growth and Community Impact Joining CHEC was a homecoming for Amy, both professionally and personally. “This is perfect,” she says. “I can use the skills I have learned, particularly as a clinic manager at Nuffield; management skills, compliance skills, and CQC readiness, but on a bigger scale.” She was instrumental in the mobilisation of the new Stevenage hospital, working to “get it right for the people of Stevenage.” The hospital, which opened in April 2023, was an immediate success. “I was surprised how busy CHEC Stevenage got so quickly,” Amy recalls. “It showed that the local community really needed a healthcare provider like CHEC.” The growth has been nothing short of incredible. In its second year, CHEC Stevenage saw “over 24,000 appointments,” a figure Amy describes as “incredible for a hospital only two years in operation.” This success led to her taking on the additional role of Hospital Manager at CHEC Watford, which is the busiest in CHECs 35+ hospitals. Amy credits her experience at Stevenage for giving her the confidence to take on the new challenge. “I can’t say how much personally I’ve learned and grown,” she says, attributing this growth to the “volume of patients and appointments that we have” and the “diversity of the staff.” A Family Atmosphere and a Commitment to Learning Amy is keen to highlight the people who make CHEC what it is. She describes a “family” atmosphere where staff are supported and encouraged to grow. She is incredibly proud of her team’s low turnover, noting that people “typically have people come and stay and move on for career progressing reasons.” Amy’s passion for her work is palpable, particularly when she talks about patient feedback. “I absolutely love seeing the patients every day,” she says. She finds it particularly rewarding when patients go out of their way to offer positive feedback. “Hearing all the positive stuff is so rewarding and it’s exactly what I was looking for coming out of private healthcare, which is fantastic,” she explains. For Amy, the opportunity to serve her local community is especially meaningful. “We’re based in the town centre, which is where I used to go as a kid with my friends, I’ve also been very blessed to have supportive staff,” she adds. She believes that CHEC is “changing people’s lives” and finds it “really fantastic” that friends and family members have been referred to the hospital. Looking ahead, Amy’s focus is on maintaining high standards and continuing to develop services. She hopes to grow the Gastroenterology service at Stevenage and continue to offer staff the chance to “learn and cross train if possible,” with the ultimate goal of providing “quicker access to healthcare for our local people.” Amy’s story is a powerful reflection of CHEC’s mission: to provide high-quality, accessible healthcare with a personal touch. Her passion for her work and her dedication to her community are clear, making her a true embodiment of the CHEC ethos. We are delighted to announce that our new hospital in Canterbury is now open and welcoming patients. Located at The Riverside in Canterbury, this new facility which offers free underground parking with lift access will help reduce local NHS waiting times and improve patient choice. The hospital offers a range of services, including cataract surgery and ENT, providing the local community with quicker access to high-quality care closer to home. With convenient parking and excellent public transport links, our state-of-the-art facility is designed to provide efficient and timely treatments in a modern and welcoming environment. Sallie Laing, the Hospital Manager at CHEC Canterbury, said: “We are thrilled to be open and serving the Canterbury community. This new site will offer patients quicker access to essential treatments and more choice close to home. We look forward to working with our NHS partners to make a real difference for local people.” This new hospital builds on CHEC’s growing presence across Southern England, complementing our existing sites in other regions. Across the UK, CHEC works in partnership with the NHS through a network of over 35 hospitals and 120 community clinics. To learn more about the services offered at CHEC Canterbury, please contact engagement@chec.uk. Steve Morley, CHEC’s Chief Partnerships Officer, shares his reflections on the King’s Fund discussion on the 10 Year Health Plan and recent developments in community centric care. As we approach the winter months, those of us working in healthcare know only too well the additional pressures the season will place on our NHS. At present, the NHS faces a multitude of challenges both external and internal. The UK’s ageing population presents an ever-increasing challenge with the need for the NHS to pivot towards a preventative care model which reduces the treatment burden on patients while successfully managing those long-term health conditions associated with age. Meanwhile the current system, with its at times overly complex structure, does not allow those individuals and organisations within it to operate at their best. That’s why it was great to attend the recent King’s Fund discussion on the 10 Year Health Plan, and discuss with colleagues how we can take it forward to deliver the improvements in care which Trusts need. Neighbourhood Health Services Since the foundation of CHEC, partnering with the NHS has been a central tenet of the business, to expand capacity, reduce pressure on acute services, and deliver care closer to home. That is why I was delighted to see the Government’s announcement that it will invest £10 million to roll out neighbourhood health services in 43 local areas, and to hear directly from the Health Secretary on how he intends for this new initiative to put power back into the hands of patients and learn from local best practice. The plans for the Neighbourhood Health Services also provide a perfect example of how the NHS and independent providers can work together for the benefit of patients. The programme lead for each area will work with practitioners such as pharmacists, dentists, optometrists, social prescribers, local government organisations and the voluntary sector to meet patient needs closer to home. As these collaborations are expanded, they not only provide a robust model for collaboration but also provide reassurance to patients and the wider public that independence and integration can coexist to bring additional capacity into the healthcare system and provide enhanced care. Shifting From Hospital Centric To Community Centric Care At CHEC we are strongly committed to increasing the accessibility of care for those who need it most, through our local delivery capabilities. The critical services we provide in our local community healthcare centres mean we help provide quality, timely care within NHS systems, closer to patients’ homes. As the NHS looks to shift from a hospital centric to a community centric model of care, it would benefit from looking to the examples from across the country where this has been successfully implemented. It was a pleasure to hear from the Mayor of Greater Manchester, the Rt Hon Andy Burnham, on the lessons from his region’s health devolution journey and the need for locally based leadership in healthcare. Amplifying Patients’ Voices One of the biggest advantages of the shift to community focused care is the opportunity it presents to put patients’ voices front and centre, which is a key value of CHEC, and listening to these voices will be key if the implementation of the Neighbourhood Health Services plan is to be a success. It was this message first and foremost that I took away from the King’s Fund discussion – the need for Government, the current healthcare system, and local providers to come together with communities to come up with plans to deliver effective local care that will improve patient outcomes and reduce the burden on the NHS in the long run. The most effective way to communicate at scale with patients and communities is through greater utilisation of the existing NHS app – three-quarters of the population have the app, with one in five logging in every month, and 56m logins in July 2025 alone. Greater data transparency, presented in a more user-friendly way, will allow patients to make informed choices about their healthcare, and ultimately to provide local level feedback that shifts our healthcare services from cookie cutter to custom-fit for each community. CHEC stands ready to play our part, and we are proud to partner with and support the NHS to invest in communities at a local level and strengthen the healthcare ecosystem for the future. CHEC is proud to announce that it has been recognised on the 2025 UK’s Best Workplaces in Healthcare™ List, launched today by Great Place To Work® UK. CHEC has been ranked among the nation’s Large & Super Large organisations, celebrating its commitment to creating a supportive, inclusive and empowering workplace for its people. This recognition is based on feedback from employees, who highlighted the strong sense of pride, purpose, and community as standout features that make CHEC an exceptional place to work. Our people consistently share that they feel empowered to make a real difference, and they take pride in not only the work they do, but also being part of an organisation they are proud to represent. Amanda Williams, Chief People Officer, said: “We are incredibly proud to be named one of the UK’s Best Workplaces in Healthcare™. Our success comes from the dedication and compassion of our people, who make a difference every single day. At CHEC, we believe in building a culture of trust, care, and opportunity, and this award reflects the strength in our team and our values.” The Great Place To Work® Trust Index™ survey elevates employee experiences across work-life balance, wellbeing, job satisfaction, financial security, and inclusivity. Results show that healthcare organisations on this year’s list consistently outperform sector averages. For example: · 82% of employees at Best Workplaces in Healthcare would strongly recommend their employer to friends and family (vs. 58% at a typical company). · 79% say they feel supported to balance their professional and personal lives (vs. 56%). · 82% want to stay at their organisation long-term (vs. 59%). Benedict Gautrey, Managing Director of Great Place To Work® UK, said: “Healthcare offers some of the most meaningful careers, but it is also one of the most demanding sectors. The organisations on this year’s list demonstrate that by putting people first, they not only support and protect their workforce but also create thriving workplaces where colleagues can deliver outstanding care. Congratulations to Community Health & Eyecare on earning this recognition.” At CHEC, we are proud to announce that we have officially achieved ISO 14001 accreditation, a globally recognised standard for effective environmental management systems (EMS). This milestone reflects our ongoing commitment to sustainability, responsible operations, and reducing our environmental footprint as a leading provider of community-based healthcare services. What is ISO 14001? ISO 14001 is an internationally accepted standard that outlines how to put an effective environmental management system in place. It helps organisations improve environmental performance through more efficient use of resources and reduction of waste, gaining a competitive advantage and the trust of stakeholders. For CHEC, this accreditation means our processes now meet the highest environmental standards, reinforcing our commitment to operating responsibly and ethically in every community we serve. Why This Matters As a healthcare provider, we understand that sustainability and health go hand in hand. By achieving ISO 14001, we’re not only reducing our impact on the environment, but we’re also: Streamlining operations to use energy and materials more efficiently Reducing waste and improving recycling efforts across our sites Strengthening our compliance with environmental regulations Demonstrating transparency and accountability in our sustainability journey A Team Effort This achievement would not have been possible without the dedication of our entire CHEC team. From our clinical staff to our facilities teams, everyone played a role in making environmentally responsible choices part of our everyday operations. Special thanks go to our Quality and Compliance team, who led the implementation of our environmental management system, carried out audits, and ensured we met all requirements of the ISO 14001 standard. “Achieving ISO 14001 accreditation is a significant milestone for CHEC and a testament to our commitment to responsible and sustainable healthcare. As an organisation, we recognise that managing environmental risk is not only essential to compliance—it’s integral to delivering long-term value to our patients, partners, and communities. This accreditation reflects the strength of our internal processes and the dedication of our teams to embedding environmental, social and governance stewardship into everything we do across our organisation.” — Jose Bailey, Chief Risk and Compliance Officer, CHEC Looking Ahead Gaining ISO 14001 accreditation is not the end—it’s the beginning of a more sustainable future for CHEC. We are committed to continuous improvement and will use this accreditation as a foundation to build even more environmentally friendly practices. Our goal is simple: to deliver high-quality healthcare that not only serves people, but also protects the planet. Thank you to our teams and partners who supported this journey. We look forward to sharing more updates as we continue to grow responsibly and sustainably.