Central Healthcare

Improving CQC Rating

March 2021

Central Healthcare formed from four individual practices in the Scarborough area in April 2018. Currently Central Healthcare looks after the health of 29,000 patients. Central Healthcare has partnered with the Haxby Group to provide GP services to patients registered in Scarborough.

March 2021

The Challenge

In February 2020 Central Healthcare were rated inadequate by the CQC (Care Quality Commission) with several warning notices issued to the practice. This rating was the result of an inspection that found the practice to be providing inadequate care. Kelly Butterfield, Head of Access for Haxby Group, acknowledged that communications were at the core of their rating issues: "One of the main contributing factors for this rating was the poor access for patients via the telephone lines, long telephone waits, limited options and the system was restrictive in terms of who could answer patient calls - tied to only 7 phones in the practice."

The Haxby Group, who had "already transformed their telephone access with the help of X-on", and are rated as 'Outstanding' by the CQC, partnered with Central Healthcare in August 2020 and were able to provide them with the advice needed to improve their CQC rating, recommending Surgery Connect.

The Solution

Designed from scratch as a dedicated healthcare phone system providing flexibility and features which have been refined by input from hundreds of GP practices using the system, for a decade in some cases, and which ensure the best possible staff and patient communications, Surgery Connect was deployed across the Central Healthcare practices. Results were immediate with "improvement felt immediately by staff and patients".

Kelly explains that "better calls flows to manage demand at peak times, the ability for other teams to support call handling during busy periods and the remote working function for staff self-isolating" were significant factors in the substantial improvement in communications.

Mobility was also important in the multi-practice environment: "The ability to have anyone log into the patient line from literally anywhere when needed."

Central Healthcare, with the support of Haxby Group and the implementation of the improved telephone system, have had their rating upgraded after a further inspection and all warning notices have been rescinded. A final inspection is due later in 2021 when they hope to be rated good or outstanding.

The Haxby Group, including Central Healthcare, are now rated outstanding by the CQC.