Nick Renaud-Komiya examines how digital primary care providers are responding to the Care Quality Commission’s first inspections of their services
In March, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) published the findings from its first programme of inspections into companies that provide digital primary care services, such as online consultations. Critics of these commercial services seized on the finding that 43% of the 35 providers inspected since November 2016 were deemed not to be meeting safety standards by February 2018.
However, safety was also the area where the healthcare regulator saw the greatest improvement over the inspection period, according to its report (86% were not fully compliant at their first inspection)1—and the changes the providers are making to meet the requirements offer insight into the development of this growing sector.
Ruth Rankine, the CQC’s deputy chief inspector of general practice, says, “Patients being supported online deserve the same standards of quality and safety as they would see in more traditional healthcare settings, and we are happy to be working with the sector ... to tackle challenges around this and promote innovation.”
The companies, which typically charge for each use or have a monthly fee, offer services ranging from video based medical consultations to home delivery of prescription medicines and sexual health treatments.
Thirty seven online healthcare companies are registered with the CQC. Although audited figures on the use of their services are scarce, the evidence suggests that there is a demand. The CQC has reported that Push Doctor, for example, which offers video GP consultations through a smartphone app, was providing roughly 10 000 consultations a month with a team of 72 GPs in March 2017.2
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中文翻译：

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在线GP服务如何解决安全问题

尼克·雷诺·科米亚（Nick Renaud-Komiya）研究了数字初级保健提供者如何响应护理质量委员会对其服务的首次检查。
三月，护理质量委员会（CQC）将其第一批检查计划的调查结果发布给了提供数字初级护理服务的公司，例如在线咨询。这些商业服务的批评者发现，自2016年11月以来接受检查的35家医疗服务提供者中，有43％被认为到2018年2月未达到安全标准。
然而，医疗保健监管机构在检查方面所取得的最大进步也是安全性根据其报告（86％在首次检查时未完全合规）1—提供商为了满足要求而进行的更改，使我们可以洞悉这个不断发展的行业的发展。
CQC副总检查长露丝·兰金（Ruth Rankine）表示：“在网上获得支持的患者应享有与传统医疗机构相同的质量和安全标准，我们很高兴与该部门合作……应对挑战并促进创新。”
这些公司通常按每次使用收取费用或按月收取费用，其服务范围从基于视频的医疗咨询到处方药和性健康治疗的上门交付。
CQC注册了37家在线医疗保健公司。尽管有关其服务使用情况的审计数据很少，但有证据表明存在需求。CQC报告说，例如，通过智能手机应用程序提供视频GP咨询的Push Doctor，在2017年3月与72名GP的团队每月提供约10,000次咨询。2
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