Celebrating a year of record growth at CHEC Post Date : January 1, 2023 News 3 minutes read As 2022 comes to a close, we are celebrating a record year of growth, coupled with expanding services and multiple industry awards wins! This year, CHEC opened 6 sites across the country, spanning from Newcastle and Northampton to Basingstoke and Dorset. Each of our clinics is uniquely placed to help tackle NHS backlogs, which increased significantly during the pandemic. Indeed, NHS England data has revealed that the number of people in England on a waiting list to start routine treatment, such as cataract surgery, is continuing to rise, highlighting the real need for our services.[1] Intending to support the NHS further, we also expanded our offerings beyond ophthalmology, to include endoscopy. We opened our first Diagnostic Endoscopy suite in Nottingham in April this year. The expansion of services cements our role as a key contributor in supporting the NHS as a provider of quality care in the community. Following the expansion of clinics, our position in the eye care industry has gone from strength to strength. In April, we launched a partnership with the Royal National Institute for Blind People to provide a dedicated ECLO support worker across all sites. This year, CHEC also attended 100% Optical, the largest ophthalmology event in the UK, as the entrance sponsor. This was an amazing opportunity for us to discuss community ophthalmology with our Optometry colleagues. We were announced as the winner of ‘Most Engaging Stand’ due to its innovation and creativity – we provided the opportunity to conduct cataract surgery on a synthetic eye in a dry lab environment! Plans for CHEC’s stand at 100% Optical 2023 are already in motion as we hope to retain the award. We have also delivered many benefits for colleagues as part of a three-year employee engagement programme. In October, we were pleased to announce we received the Great Place to Work Certification following our entry in the Best Workplace Trust Survey, the world’s largest study of workplace excellence and people management practices. CHEC has also been shortlisted for the Tomorrow’s Care award 2023. As part of the employee engagement initiative, we also delivered a total of 21 Continuing Professional Development events. These events have allowed for top-tier insight and training opportunities. The recognition CHEC has received as a leading innovator, dedicated care provider and an excellent place to work demonstrates the successful year that we have had. Looking forward, CHEC’s growth and momentum will continue into 2023 and beyond! [1] https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-63583751