Now GP telehealth service passes CQC inspection

Now Healthcare Group, provider of the Now GP video consultation service, has passed its Care Quality Commission inspection, making it the first provider of telehealth GP services to be declared “safe” by the main regulator of health and social services.

Over the past month the CQC has published several inspection reports that have been critical of providers of digital patient services, specifically a number of online pharmacy providers.

Following a 14 June CQC inspection for the Now GP service, Now Healthcare Group was judged to be providing safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led services – meeting all necessary criteria across the five CQC inspection categories.

Apart from Lloyds Pharmacy Online Doctor, which recently became the first online healthcare provider to pass the thorough inspection, NHG is the first provider in its field to achieve a “five out of five” score.

The CQC’s new digital methodology and guidelines for digital health providers were introduced earlier this year.

High-profile providers who failed to fully pass the inspection include Push Doctor and Pharmacy2U.

The CQC report on Now Healthcare Group found the online video GP consulting service to have qualified and registered GPs; appropriate recruitment checks; comprehensive systems in place to check patient iGOP identity and systems in place to ensure staff had the information needed to deliver safe care and treatment to patients.

Lee Dentith, Now Healthcare Group CEO and founder said the results reflect the great progress they’re making as a healthcare provider.

“At a time when patient safety and digital health services are under high levels of scrutiny, it’s an incredible achievement to be the first telehealth GP service to be found to be meeting all necessary requirements.”

“Hopefully this demonstrates to our public and private clients and partners that they are working with the UK’s most reputable provider and the clear industry-leader in this field.”

Dentith added: “I would like to thank our team for their incredible hard work and dedication that has made this achievement possible.”

The company has been working with the NHS for the past two years, servicing more than 100,000 repeat prescriptions nationwide and is soon to release its new NHS supplied services platform which can be accessed by more than 15 million people in the UK – to be announced in September.

Now GP is linked to the DigitalHealth.London Accelerator programme, a collaboration of academic health science networks in the capital designed to accelerate the adoption of technology to drive innovation in the NHS.

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The 39 digital healthcare providers being investigated by the CQC:

Ada Digital Health

Antrobus Medical Limited

Anytime Medical Limited

Babylon Healthcare Services Limited

Doctor Care Anywhere Limited

Dr Morton’s

Dr Now (Now Healthcare Group Limited)

Escripts Marketing Limited

Expert Health Limited

FMC Marketing Limited

Freedomhealth Ltd

Health Bridge Ltd London

Hexpress Healthcare Ltd

Homeocare Ltd

Icebreaker Medical

Index Medical Limited

iPrimary Care Limited

Medical Prescription Services Ltd

MSF Medical Services Limited

Online Clinic (UK) Limited

Postmymeds Limited

PrivateDoc Ltd

Push Doctor Limited – read our coverage here

Red Label Medical Limited

SH:24 C.I.C

The Boots Company plc

The GP Service (UK) Ltd

VideoDoc LTD

Yakub Chemist Limited

Doc Reports Limited (iGP)

Doctor Matt Ltd

e-med Private Medical Services

Express Dispense Ltd

Frosts Pharmacy Ltd

HR Healthcare Limited

Nationwide Pharmacies Ltd

Pharmacy2U Limited – read our coverage here

White Pharmacy Ltd

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