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Quality of care

As the largest independent provider of acute surgical services, Circle Health Group is at the forefront of the drive to improve clinical and non-clinical service standards across the independent sector.

Our care

We aim to provide the highest standards in all aspects of patient care. This includes ensuring unequalled attention to hygiene and involving patients in the process to minimise any risks of infection.

This enables us to maintain our excellent record for cases and rates of MRSA, Clostridium Difficile and wound infection. Detailed information is provided on each of these topics.

Circle Health Group is committed to providing safe, high-quality care and reducing the risk of healthcare-associated infections.

As part of our infection prevention and control programme, we use a targeted approach to MRSA screening, assessing each patient's individual risk factors, planned procedure, and clinical needs to determine whether screening is required.

Patients identified as being at increased risk, or those undergoing procedures where screening is clinically indicated, will be tested in line with national guidance and local policy. 

If MRSA is detected, a decolonisation treatment programme will be offered where appropriate, and any additional precautions needed to protect the patient and others will be implemented. 

We continually monitor infection prevention outcomes to ensure our practices remain effective and evidence-based.

Circle Health Groupcomplies with NHS requirements for the elimination of mixed sex accommodation. A copy of Circle Health Group's declaration confirming this is available here.

Venous Thromboembolism (VTE), the current term which covers deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and Pulmonary Embolism (PE), has been widely reported as being responsible for up to 25,000 largely preventable deaths in UK hospital patients each year.

As part of our commitment to clinical excellence, every patient admitted to a Circle Health Group hospital or clinic will undergo a detailed VTE risk assessment on admission and then periodically during their stay.

The risk assessment process categorises patients according to their individual risk of developing DVT and recommends the appropriate action for the medical practitioner to prescribe including medication mechanical devices to be administered to relevant patients during their hospital stay and for patients who remain at risk of developing a VTE after discharge from hospital.

Circle Health Group is the first national private healthcare provider in the UK to be awarded VTE Exemplar Centre status across its whole network of hospitals and clinics by the Department of Health.

Circle Health Group's clinical and strategic implementation and on-going development has earned them the award of Best VTE Education Initiative at the Lifeblood National VTE Awards.

Lifeblood the thrombosis charity, alongside Awards partners, the All-Party Parliamentary Thrombosis Group and the NHS VTE Prevention Programme, recognise the role Circle Health Group has played in sharing best practice with the NHS.

Circle Health Group (CHG) – our position:

The following statements are made to clarify the position on CHG’s Formulary and the implementation of NICE Technology Appraisals (TAs) for medicines.

  • Publication and accessibility of Formulary (Reference SC27.1.1): CHG has a pharmacy catalogue managed as a national formulary using the electronic British National Formulary (eBNF) as a platform. Each CHG hospital does not have a local formulary because Consultants are engaged from various NHS Trusts/Foundation Trusts. The prescribing of medication for NHS patients is undertaken in accordance with the local formulary of the NHS Trusts/Foundation Trusts in the relevant area.
  • Relevant NICE Technology Appraisals (Reference SC27.1.2): Each CHG hospital is able to provide local information on the implementation of NICE Technology Appraisals (TA) which are relevant to the treatment of NHS patients in CHG.
  • Availability of treatments recommended in positive NICE Technology Appraisals (Reference SC27.1.3): NICE TAs are not always applicable since CHG does not necessarily provide the treatment under NHS contract. However, each CHG hospital will liaise with the NHS locally to ensure continuity of care for any NHS contract patients already receiving treatment. Any treatment requested by an individual hospital which has received a positive NICE TA will be granted automatic approval for use within CHG.
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