Country Doctor publishes the following item produced by "The Practice" without bias.

One private sector company is revolutionising the way people receive healthcare in the UK . Now in its fifth year The Practice provides an array of community based clinical services across the South of England, with the number one priority always being patient care. Commissioned by the NHS, the company prides itself in a quarter of a million successful patient contacts a year – a figure which is ever increasing.

Giving patients and clinicians’ a wider choice, and extended access to healthcare resources, The Practice aims to offer a service better matched to patient and community needs. The Practice is one of the UK ’s leading providers of primary care offering significant advantages such as giving patients more flexibility in when and where they can see a GP or specialist clinician, a reduction in waiting times – and all at lower cost to the NHS. Operating seven GP surgeries and three new style GP led health centres; providing care in eight secure facilities; as well delivering a range of out patients clinics, The Practice has grown its reputation on building high quality community based care solutions.

Founded by two GPs, The Practice offers a unique blend of clinical and commercial experience which when combined makes patient care the priority whilst running on sound business principles. Continual development of all the staff ensures the highest standards, whilst robust company infrastructure supports clinicians in delivering their medical expertise.

The Practice philosophy mirrors that of Lord Ara Darzi’s vision for healthcare reform and by putting the emphasis on the patient and choice of service, aims to bring key services out of hospitals and into the community, and in doing so offer greater flexibility and access for everybody. Services including ophthalmology, sexual health, dermatology, urgent care and secure health are core components of the current offering and provide a highly successful model that will be applied to further services in the future.

Currently The Practice operates three new Lord Darzi inspired health centres also frequently referred to as polyclinics, GP-led health centres or walk-in centres. Polyclinics have been designed to reflect the needs of the local populations, offering extended hours and an array of services which will ultimately free acute hospitals for more intricate and complex work.  

Says Peter Watts, Chief Executive of The Practice Plc: “At The Practice we are always striving for the highest standards of patient care and by working closely with the NHS and PCTs we are best placed to offer choice and accessible community care. Our patients’ experiences are regularly monitored and satisfaction is overwhelmingly positive. This is testament to Lord Darzi’s belief that NHS services should have the patient experience at their core and that this is in fact taking shape in a very real world environment.”

“Never losing sight of our patients we also aim to operate effectively and deliver best value to the NHS.”

The company has grown exponentially during its five years. Revenues from a standing start in year 1 were £345k, rising to £1.2m in 2006; £2.7m in 2007 and by the end of 2008 achieving £4.97m. It is hoped that as The Practice enters 2010 revenues will be at least £11m.

For more information about The Practice please visit www.thepracticeplc.com

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