SH:24 C.I.C. online sexual health service rated outstanding by the Care Quality Commission

For immediate release: Thursday 26th May 2022

SH:24 C.I.C. has been rated outstanding overall by the Care Quality Commission, the independent health and social care regulator in England. The service was also rated outstanding for being safe, effective, caring, responsive to people’s needs and well-led.

The report recognises SH:24’s contribution to innovation, improvement and increased access to sexual and reproductive healthcare among the outstanding practice found at the inspection. The CQC highlighted that SH:24’s new and innovative ways of working mean that the service reaches vulnerable groups that haven’t been able to access sexual health services before.

Jane Ray, CQC Head of Hospital Inspection, said:

“The high standards of care we saw at SH:24 were exemplary. The privacy and dignity of patients was paramount, and they were treated with compassion and kindness.

“Feedback from people using the service was consistently positive and the flexibility and choice offered meant that they benefited from bespoke treatment, tailored to their individual needs.

The round-the-clock availability of the service increased people’s access to safe sexual and reproductive healthcare, particularly for vulnerable groups in rural areas.

“The service is of direct benefit to communities right across the UK, and other services can look to this as an example of outstanding care.”

Paula Baraitser, Medical Director of SH:24, said:

‘Providing acceptable, safe, effective and caring digital services is an important challenge for health services everywhere and we are proud of our contribution to this work. Adapting clinical practice for digital environments has resulted in new models of care that are both safe and caring and user-centred design has helped us ensure that services are accessible and convenient. Evaluating everything we do has enabled us to share our learning. We are so pleased with CQC’s acknowledgement of our work and the rating encourages us to continue to innovate, learn and share.’

Chris Howroyd, CEO of SH:24, said:

“We’re incredibly proud to be recognised as outstanding by the CQC. SH:24 has played a critical role in shaping modern sexual and reproductive services in the UK. We pioneered the development of digital sexual health services in the public sector, informing policy and comissioning, setting remote care standards in the pursuit of our mission to offer safe and effective care to all.

This rating is testament to our efforts, but above all our committed team, who continue to deliver unrivaled levels of care. The needs of our service users remain at the heart of all we do, as we continually strive to innovate and further enhance their experience.”

References:

1. CQC inspection report published 13 May 2022:

https://www.cqc.org.uk/location/1-5583822978

https://api.cqc.org.uk/public/v1/reports/0a71ed88-3ae9-4906-a3b9-6a28a8d6fee4?20220513080038