Livi has become the first online GP provider to be rated ‘outstanding’ by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).
In 2020, just 5% of GP practices were awarded the ‘outstanding’ label and only one other digital healthcare provider has previously been given an overall rating of ‘outstanding’ – paediatric service The Children’s e-Hospital.
Livi enables patients to see their GPs and other healthcare professionals via video using their smartphone or tablet. The technology also provides patient management to more than 4,000 GP practices. The service is available for both NHS patients and self-funded patients within the UK, as well as to clients of a health insurance company.
Following a comprehensive inspection Livi was awarded an ‘outstanding’ rating in two out of five categories:
- Are services responsive?
- Are services well-led?
The service received a ‘good’ rating for:
- Are services safe?
- Are services effective?
- And are services caring?
In the CQC report, Livi’s response to the Covid pandemic was praised by the independent regulator of health and social care services.
The report said: “At the request of NHS England, the service had set up the NHS National Covid Home Monitoring Service to provide home monitoring for patients diagnosed with Covid-19. The service was developed and implemented within 30 hours of the request from NHS England. This service afforded hundreds of patients 24-hour, seven-days-a-week access to care and negated the risk of exposing others to the virus.”
It’s not the first time CQC has highlighted the use of digital solutions and good collaboration in response to the pandemic. Earlier this year it highlighted the areas of Herefordshire and Worcestershire, and Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly for delivering “positive and timely” services for patients during difficult times.
Juliet Bauer, Livi UK managing director, said: “The CQC rating Livi outstanding shows that when digital is done well it can be central to providing safe, effective and responsive care. Our model of partnering with the NHS whilst innovating at scale helps us to achieve the widest access, and the best possible outcomes for patients.”