Community healthcare provider marks major milestone for patient choice and equitable access.

CHEC, one of the UK’s leading providers of community healthcare, is celebrating this year’s World Sight Day (12th October 2023) after treating the 10,000th patient at its Blackpool hospital. 

Working in partnership with NHS England, CHEC Blackpool gives local residents increased choice and improved access to ophthalmology services in the community. Marion Hilton, aged 84 from Kirkham, went home with the title of 10,000th patient after having cataract surgery on her left eye. 

With a referral to treatment time of just eight days, Marion was extremely pleased with the quality of care delivered by CHEC Blackpool: “Everybody was so kind; the whole team are wonderful. Such a fantastic service and experience, I wasn’t afraid at all. I’ll be back for my second eye!”

Based in Avroe Crescent, off Squires Gate Lane, CHEC Blackpool opened its services to the local community and surrounding areas at the height of lockdown in 2020. Since then, thousands of patients have chosen CHEC Blackpool as their community eye hospital of choice. 

“World Sight Day is a stark reminder that we need to protect our eyesight and do everything we can to restore it for those who are struggling with visual impairments. Loss of sight really is life limiting, and we’re proud to help the NHS reduce waiting times so that people can access quality treatment when they need it,” explains Samantha Norton, Hospital Manager. 

“Our patients are at the heart of everything we do. And what a truly magical moment to be there when Marion became our 10,000th patient in just over three years. Thank you, Marion, and thank you to the whole CHEC team for everything you do, everyday!”

Headquartered in Preston, CHEC has more than 20 hospitals UK-wide, with a North-West stronghold through its Accrington, Blackpool and Preston hospitals. 

Care and Quality Commission awards CHEC highest possible rating.

The Care and Quality Commission (CQC) has recognised a Northampton-based eye hospital as ‘Outstanding’ – the highest possible rating. Based in Sol Central, CHEC is a community-based provider of ophthalmology services to people living in Northampton and the surrounding areas, working in partnership with the NHS to reduce waiting times by giving patients increased choice.

Following a thorough evaluation process, CHEC was found to achieve exceptional performance across five main areas: safety, effectiveness, care, responsiveness, and leadership.

One of the key areas which contributed to the ‘Outstanding’ award was CHEC’s focus on patient accessibility. Recognising that travelling for appointments can often be stressful, especially for those with visual impairments, CHEC introduced a range of patient-focused initiatives. These include a free Home to Hospital™ pick up service and collaboration with a local parking provider that not only gives two hours’ free parking for appointments, patients can also record their registration in the hospital rather than at the car park.

Amisha Majithia, Hospital Manager, explains: “We put the patient front and centre of every decision we make about our service provision and operations. While the objective was to create an environment that delivered the very best quality and care for the patients, to be recognised as ‘Outstanding’ by CQC is a brilliant achievement for our team.” 

CHEC first opened its doors to patients in Northampton early April 2022. Since then, the community provider of ophthalmology services has seen almost 7,000 patients and carried out over 1,000 cataract surgeries.

“Based on our current performance, we can treat patients in an average of 4.2 weeks, which is much quicker than other pathways for the same treatments,” continues Amisha. “Over the past year we’ve also expanded our services in line with community needs, so it’s more convenient than ever to access ophthalmology diagnostics and treatments.” 

Annual conference provides springboard to launch enhanced go-to-market strategy.

CHEC has launched an enhanced go-to-market strategy that will better align its service offerings and provision with the NHS’ evolving needs. Announced at its annual conference – CHEC Re:Set – the new strategy brings an improved business structure, bolstered communications, and a broader range of development opportunities for the CHEC team.

Hosted at the Belfry Hotel and Golf Resort, the conference was the ideal forum for CHEC to celebrate its continued growth before looking ahead to the future. In the last 18 months, CHEC has successfully increased its hospital sites from 10 to 21, with the most recent opening in Stockport and Sheffield earlier this year. Plans are already underway to launch new sites in Milton Keynes, Ilford and Warrington.

Across its ophthalmology and endoscopy services, CHEC consulted over 335,000 patients in 2022/23*, helping to reduce NHS waiting times by providing access to specialist care and treatments in the community.

To better align service provision with NHS and community needs, CHEC has restructured some of its teams, including the introduction of NHS Partnership Executives. This comes after the business bolstered its leadership with a series of new appointments including the promotion of David Morris to Director of Operations, Iwona Ngody to Director of Community Services, and Jose Bailey to Commercial Director.

Initially joining CHEC as Quality Coordinator five years ago, Jose has gained valuable experience across all operations and is excited for the company’s next stage of growth. “A lot has changed since I first joined – all of which is hugely positive. We’re aiming to set a new standard for community healthcare, and patient care and choice are front and centre of our strategy,” explains Jose.

Originally launched as Community Health Eye Care, the company later rebranded as CHEC to better reflect its expanding range of community healthcare services. Jose continues: “We’re one of the largest providers of community-based ophthalmology services in the UK. This year alone we’re 147% ahead of our treatment targets. But we recognise that to truly give patients choice – and support the NHS with reducing waiting times – there needs to be more community healthcare services available. That’s been a key driver behind the introduction of gastroenterology services, with endoscopy treatments and diagnostics now being offered at eight of our sites.”

While the Re:Set conference focused on driving forward enhancements and expanding CHEC’s community ophthalmology reach, it also reinforced the company’s commitment to raising industry standards through education and its CPD programme.

*CHEC Annual Quality Report, 2023

CHEC is proud to be delivering a dedicated ophthalmic clinic within the REAL Battersea clinic. The introduction of the new centre in London represents CHEC’s continued commitment to providing world-class healthcare directly to communities and tackle waiting lists nationally. 

The new site, CHEC @ REAL Battersea, will focus on alleviating the ongoing pressure on NHS services, with ophthalmology facing the second highest backlogs nationwide. Earlier this year it was revealed that nearly one in four Londoners have experienced a loss of vision while waiting for treatment for an eye condition with the NHS.[1] A survey conducted by the Macular Society also found that a quarter of Londoners had experienced a delay waiting for an appointment or treatment, while 38 per cent felt their vision had declined as a result of long waits.[2] By contrast, CHEC offers high-quality ophthalmology services to patients within four weeks.

The Battersea centre will provide general ophthalmology, cataracts services, wet aged macular degeneration and YAG laser for patients. CHEC’s door to door patient pick up service will also be provided for patients local to the area.

The launch of the new centre in London demonstrates CHEC’s commitment to providing services to as many communities as possible, in an effort to support the NHS and its patients across the UK. The cutting-edge medical facilities, combined with expedited appointments and exceptional patient care, underscore CHEC’s dedication to enhancing healthcare services and making a positive impact in communities nationwide.

Jose Bailey, Commercial Director at CHEC, commented: “The opening of CHEC @ REAL Battersea extends our ophthalmic offering to London residents, building upon CHEC’s existing site at New Cross, Lewisham, which has seen great success in providing care to the local community. It is clear that London City requires more ophthalmology services, and it is our hope that we can play a vital role in easing the burden of long waiting times. This new centre aligns with our mission to reshape the healthcare landscape and contribute to the overall health and happiness of communities.

[1] https://www.standard.co.uk/news/health/london-eye-patients-vision-long-nhs-waits-b1068913.html

[2] https://www.standard.co.uk/news/health/london-eye-patients-vision-long-nhs-waits-b1068913.html

In a significant stride towards enhancing healthcare services, CHEC are thrilled to announce the grand opening of not one, but two cutting-edge hospitals dedicated to providing first class ophthalmology and endoscopy services to patients within the NHS network. These state-of-the-art facilities represent CHEC’s continued commitment to providing world-class healthcare to the community.

The new hospitals will support in alleviating the ongoing pressure on NHS services, with ophthalmology facing the second highest backlogs nationwide. In Milton Keynes, ophthalmology waiting times for treatments have been estimated at 32 weeks, while the average waiting period in Ilford is 14 weeks.[1] By contrast, CHEC offer high-quality ophthalmology and endoscopy services to patients within 4 weeks.

The two new hospitals will provide ophthalmology and endoscopy services in the heart of the community. Comfortable waiting areas, modern treatment rooms, and a warm atmosphere ensure that patients feel at ease throughout their healthcare journey. Both centres are conveniently located to ensure easy accessibility for patients across the region. CHEC’s community door to door transport initiative ensures that these new centres are accessible for all, regardless of age or mobility.

The launch of the new centres reaffirms CHEC’s commitment to supporting the NHS and its patients across the UK. The cutting-edge medical facilities, combined with expedited appointments and exceptional patient care, underscore CHEC’s dedication to enhancing healthcare services and making a positive impact in communities nationwide.

Jose Bailey, Commercial Director at CHEC, commented: “Our centres in Ilford and Milton Keynes mark a significant milestone in our ongoing commitment to elevate healthcare standards. By incorporating innovations, technology, highly skilled medical professionals, and a dedication to patient well-being, we aim to reshape the healthcare landscape and contribute to the overall health and happiness of communities.

These hospitals stand as a testament to what can be achieved when healthcare, innovation, and compassion converge; we delightedly look forward to welcoming patients.”

[1] https://www.myplannedcare.nhs.uk/east/milton-keynes/specialty/?sname=Ophthalmology

Consultant Ophthalmologist and CEO of CHEC, Imran Rahman, discusses the development of health tech and its potential to reduce human error and ease hospital waiting lists.

Recent years have seen the narrative around UK healthcare dominated by discussion of high demand and slow movement, with NHS waiting lists at an all-time peak of 7.22 million. Despite these problems, Britain possesses an important resource, key to rapidly advancing its healthcare offering: its dominance in the development of innovative health tech. 

Through the increased use of technology, British healthcare has the potential to simultaneously improve its quality while streamlining services and cutting down on waiting lists. With investment in UK healthcare technology soaring over the past decade – growing nine-fold between 2016 and 2021 – Britain has developed into a leading nation in the global health tech revolution, a prominence which will be crucial in supporting the country’s healthcare services over the coming years.

Lending a robotic hand, or four…

Over the past century, medicine has witnessed an exponential progression in both its breadth and its sophistication; yet in spite of this rapid development, healthcare is far from immune to the risks of human error. The next step for medicine – and one which has already begun in earnest – is to develop technology which can significantly reduce and even eliminate the impact of human error and knock on delays or pressures.

Through ever-improving robotic technologies, medical professionals protect their patients from human fallibility. The Da Vinci System is one such example. The four-armed robot, specifically designed for medical use, has been employed by the NHS for over two decades; yet the past few years have witnessed an explosion in Da Vinci’s usage across a vast array of medical procedures and innovative surgeries. With the increased precision they offer, these “robotic surgeons” play a significant part in reducing human error while at the same time streamlining procedures to render them less invasive, minimising healing time and further potential costs to the NHS.

Beyond putting a barrier between patient care and human error, healthcare technologies can help surgeons hone their own skills, thereby improving their own accuracy. The use of virtual reality simulations to practise procedures provides doctors with the opportunity to perfect their technique and anticipate challenges, without risking a patient’s welfare. With investment in health tech soaring over recent years, the growing application of technologies such as Da Vinci and augmented reality will be the major factor in advancing the quality of UK healthcare into the future.

Cutting down on waiting lists

To have a tangible impact on reducing waiting lists, it is vital that British healthcare continues to advance and embrace cutting-edge technology. Alongside reducing human error, surgical robots such as Da Vinci have the capacity to minimise the risks of medical procedures – reducing the chance of complications and length of recovery time, and consequently freeing up hospital beds for other patients. Through technological progress, quality of care can go hand in hand with efficiency of service.

Moreover, technology can help to streamline processes across all aspects of healthcare. Indeed, since the COVID-19 pandemic, day-to-day healthcare has taken a clear step towards the digital, with over 54,500 healthcare and medical apps available on the Google Play Store by the end of 2022.

The function of such apps varies widely – from apps designed to help patients manage their health, to systems used by medical practices to schedule appointments and reduce the time spent on administration. Indeed, open-source artificial intelligence (AI), such as ChatGPT, is now being employed by doctors and researchers to process huge amounts of previous medical data and thereby improve individual diagnoses.

With such a broad range of possibilities, these healthcare apps – such as CHEC’s own booking app – have the dual impact of reducing patient stress and increasing the efficiency of GPs, hospitals, pharmacies, and medical centres. While COVID-19 may have acted as an accelerant for the development of digital technologies, their applicability beyond the pandemic is becoming increasingly clear.

A digital future

British healthcare has all the ingredients to flourish in a technologically-driven future. From its tech triangle – embracing Oxford, Cambridge, and London – to the soaring investment channelled into healthtech innovation, the UK is in an excellent position to carry the standard into a new age for medicine.

The possibilities of health tech are endless. By facilitating new research, improving standards of medical practice, and expediting the patient experience, technology offers an answer to growing waiting lists currently experienced across the UK. What is key now is that healthcare providers embrace this opportunity, exploring the myriad ways that technology can be advanced in support of medicine and thereby ensuring a brighter future for healthcare in Britain.

https://www.aop.org.uk/ot/professional-support/health-services/2023/06/27/british-healthcare-has-all-the-ingredients-to-flourish-in-a-technologically-driven-future

Congratulations to Lauren and team at CHEC Newcastle Gateshead on reaching the remarkable milestone of their 1 year anniversary!

Throughout the past year, our dedicated staff have been going above and beyond in our commitment to providing outstanding eyecare and endoscopy services to the Gateshead community. 

In the duration of 12 months, we have successfully treated a remarkable total of 5,349 patients, with 1,383 cataract surgeries. 

This achievement fills us with great pride. Well done Team! 

CHEC are proud to announce the installation of a groundbreaking new laser platform, the YAG Quantel Capsulo at its new Stockport Centre. The system provides pristine clarity of view into both the anterior and posterior segments of the eye and will facilitate efficient and accurate capsulotomy and iridotomy treatments. The device will be included in all future sites launched by the provider.

As healthcare backlogs reach record highs and eyecare backlogs the second largest in the UK, CHEC has committed to tech-first innovation across the organisation, as part of its effort in streamlining treatment while maintaining the highest quality of patient care. By promoting efficiency and reducing the length of procedure and recovery times, new technologies play a major part in helping to cut down Britain’s healthcare waiting times.

Capsulo is a Q-switched Nd:YAG laser, which simplifies the implementation of previous YAG laser models. The devise is fitted with a purpose-built slit lamp and controlled using touch-screen technology. Its small footprint ensures minimal space required for instillation. The model is designed and manufactured by the medical arm of laser technology expert, Lumibird. The device installed at the Stockport centre will be the second instance of the model in the UK, and the equipment will be rolled out across all future CHEC sites.

At a time when the Greater Manchester area faces healthcare waiting lists of 33-50 weeks, the presence of a YAG Quantel Capsulo at the Stockport site will help to ensure swift, high-quality treatment for the local community.

CHEC’s commitment to providing excellence of care was recognised earlier this year when its Stoke centre received an “Outstanding” rating from the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

Jose Bailey, Commercial Director at CHEC, commented: “We are delighted to announce the installation of a new YAG Quantel Capsulo at our new Stockport site. As a local healthcare provider committed to supporting the work of the NHS, we are constantly looking for ways to develop and enhance our offering through new technologies. As we open the doors of our latest centre, we look forward to ushering in the future of eyecare and ensuring ongoing standards of care for the local community.”