In 1987 MD Christopher Malkin stood at the forefront of a pathology courier service that was to set a precedent for GP to laboratory specimen delivery. This service delivered by his company Connection Same Day Courier in Newcastle has provided an express pathology service for the NHS for over 30 years. Today Connection Same Day Courier considers the changing NHS and GP delivery systems and finds that their experience stands them in good stead.
In 2015 NHS England laid out its five-year plan to help general practices improve across several areas. £2.4 billion of funding a year was pledged to be made available by the end of the decade.
With two months to go until 2020 money allocated from the Transformation Fund has made an impact. Across the region, Clinical Commissioning Groups have successfully secured funding for improvements to existing buildings, new builds, and technology updates. These improvements are aimed at offering a better patient experience.
Under this initiative, Northumberland CCG “described in 2016 by NHS England as one of the ‘best-run’ trusts in Britain,” was allocated £4.29 million, which has made an impact on care in the region. The Northumberland CCG, as one of the nominated vanguard CCG’s, has created the first Accountable Care Organisation (AOG). By building and developing a “shared support structure” this pioneering approach offers a sustainable and coordinated care service. In October 2019 Northumbria NHS Trust received the highest rating awarded by the CQC, outstanding, with a number of areas noted for outstanding practice.
Working closely with Northumbria CCG Connection Same Day Courier has been able to provide valuable insight into the creation and set up of evening and weekend GP pathology collection rounds. Our extensive experience highlighted a perceptive view when coordinating multiple GP collections. The shared quality objectives of this project mirror our quality objectives which stand at the core of our business. Over time our experience has shown that our service is stronger and more efficient when we can work closely with our customers. In its turn, this philosophy helps to support an improved GP to patient experience.