Member Article

Connect Health achieves “outstanding” CQC rating in well led category and “good” overall

Following an announced CQC (Care Quality Commission) inspection in May, leading community services healthcare provider Connect Health has been rated “outstanding” in the well led domain and “good” overall.

The North East headquartered organisation, which prides itself on providing the highest standards of healthcare to its 375,000 NHS patients and 100-plus occupational health physiotherapy services, was seen to have a strong focus on continuous improvement and innovation, with the aim of improving the quality of the services it delivers.

The CQC report judges highlighted: “We rated the service as outstanding for being well-led. The leadership, management and governance of the organisation assured the delivery of high-quality and person-centred care, supported learning and innovation, and promoted an open and fair culture. We were given examples of numerous innovations that had been implemented in the service during the past year. We found leaders to be innovative, collaborative and forward thinking.”

The service was praised across all areas: • SAFE - The service had good systems to manage risk so that safety incidents were less likely to happen. When they did happen, the service learned from them and improved their processes. • EFFECTIVE - It ensured that care and treatment was delivered according to evidence- based guidelines. • CARING - Staff involved and treated people with compassion, kindness, dignity and respect. • RESPONSIVE - Patients were able to access care and treatment from the service within an appropriate timescale for their needs. • WELL-LED – Outstanding leadership, management and governance of the organisation assured the delivery of high-quality and person-centred care, supported learning and innovation, and promoted an open and fair culture.

Prof Andrew Walton, Group Executive Director, Connect Health commented: “We feel proud and honoured to have received an outstanding rating for the well-led category and good overall. It is a fantastic achievement and shows that if you invest time and resources in your processes, your people and importantly your patients, you can deliver amazing results. It is a real testament to the hard work of the full Connect Health team, providing confidence and reassurance to all patients of the high standards of quality care provided.”

Dr Graeme Wilkes, Chief Medical Officer, Connect Health added: “CQC has recognised our excellent track record on safety, noting that there are comprehensive risk assessments in relation to safety issues. In particular, it highlighted our systems to keep clinicians up to date with current evidence-based practice.”

Paul Allan, Director of NHS Services, Connect Health and CQC Registered Manager continued: “I’m really pleased that CQC has highlighted, as best practice, the Connect Health “Hub” which is our e-learning platform. It allows easy allocation and tracking of e-learning training throughout the business. In addition, The Academy was praised – our post graduate education and CPD based educational facility covering all the specialities we deliver in the community. Each session is delivered by a member of the Academy Faculty, which is made up of 70 colleagues from a multi-professional background. It is also fantastic to be recognised as displaying very high levels of staff satisfaction, as demonstrated by our December 2020 staff survey whereby 90% of people said Connect Heath was a Great Place to Work.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Connect Health .