Circle Integrated Care provides NHS services for patients with Musculoskeletal (MSK) and Dermatology conditions across the country. We provide quick access to specialist clinicians, ensuring that you see the right clinician at the right time. We continually monitor and improve all aspects that relate to your care, from how easy it is to contact us, right through to how effective the care we provide is.
To achieve this, we use digital technologies to support your treatment pathways, which can be online self-referral, a virtual consultation with a clinician, or delivery of physiotherapy via an app. We also work with community healthcare providers and local NHS and independent hospitals to ensure that high-quality care can be delivered close to people’s homes.
We are a pioneering healthcare provider, dedicated to improving the health of the patients we serve. Our team of experienced healthcare professionals and support staff all work towards our vision of a world with quick easy access to great care.
This vision in underpinned by the Circle Health Group philosophy, which defines us as a cohesive, unified organisation. It encapsulates our shared principles and values which apply to every service we deliver and to every stakeholder with whom we work.
Regardless of role, everyone at Circle Health Group plays their part and makes a significant contribution to the organisation. The way our people live and breathe our philosophy defines our culture. Our principles and values are at the core of our purpose and heart of our culture – it’s just the way we do things here.
In our services, all referrals are sent to a single point of access to enable early clinical triage which is performed within 24 hours. Our purpose is to then guide our people through their next steps, to get people seen by the right clinician at the right time, using National Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE) and Getting in Right First Time (GIRFT) frameworks to ensure the care we provide is backed by the most up-to-date evidence available.
The Care Quality Commission has completed a comprehensive inspection of our services and has found that our service continues to provide safe, effective care in accordance with the relevant regulations.
MSK Physiotherapy
- Telephone Assessment and Advice: Our physioline service offers quick access to expert advice from qualified physiotherapists. Exercises can be provided to you via an online app, or emailed to you as preferred
- Face-to-Face Assessment, Advice and Treatment: Our physiotherapy teams provide assessment, diagnosis and treatment, providing bespoke rehabilitation programmes that suit your needs.
- Online Follow-Ups: Follow-up appointments can be offered online or over the telephone to track and monitor your progress
MSK Podiatry
- Online Assessment and provision of orthoses (insoles): Our online podiatry service assess you over a video call, providing orthoses to treat MSK complaints with a 70%* success rate.
- Face-to-Face Assessment and provision of orthoses: If your preference is to see somebody face-to-face, this can also be arranged. Assessment in person for orthoses can also be provided at a select number of sites.
Community MSK Assessment Clinics
- Diagnostic Referrals: Imaging may be requested at the point of your referral, should this be appropriate, ensuring that your referral gets to the right person, at the right time.
- Rapid Access Telephone Assessment Clinics: These appointments allow quick access to assessment with Advanced Practice Physiotherapists, who will discuss your symptoms with you and plan the best next step for your care.
- Online Assessment Clinics: If you prefer online assessment, this can be offered with our Advanced Practice Physiotherapists too.
- Face-to-Face Assessment and Treatment Clinics: Our MSK Assessment clinics are based in main hubs and GP surgeries, ensuring care can be close to home. Our Advanced Practice Physiotherapists will discuss your symptoms, examine you and plan your care with you, which may include referral for physiotherapy, scans or x-rays or may offer injection therapy.
Orthopaedics
- Community Consultant Clinics: Specialist assessment, based in our community hubs, rather than in a hospital setting - bringing specialist care closer to home.
Rheumatology
- Community Rheumatology Clinics: Specialist assessment, based in our community hubs, rather than in a hospital setting - bringing specialist care closer to home.
- Community Early Arthritis Clinics:
Persistent Pain
- Online Pain Clinic Assessment: Our community physiotherapists, nurses, osteopaths and pain consultants work closely to provide online assessment and advice, where this is your preference.
- Face-to-Face Assessment: Our community physiotherapists, nurses, osteopaths and pain consultants work closely to provide whole person assessments and plan the best care for persistent pain problems.
Dedicated Shared Decision-Making Clinics
- Shared Decision-making clinics mean no decision is made about you, without you. We hold dedicated clinics, where you can discuss all the available options, prior to referral to specialists for surgery.
Dermatology
- Community Dermatology Clinics: Specialist Assessment closer to home with access to Consultant Dermatologists and Specialist Doctors and Nurses.
- Teledermatology: This allows us to assess images of skin problems, making sure we get you to the right clinician, at the right time.
- Phototherapy Light Therapy Service: This is an effective treatment for a range of skin conditions. It uses NUVB/PUVA rays in a full body cabinet and Hand and Foot treatments, when problems are more localised.
- Minor Surgery: Minor surgery is offered in the community, for removal and biopsy of skin lesions.
- Diagnostic Referrals: We can facilitate Allergy Patch Testing, to get to the root cause of skin conditions that are a possible result of allergy.
- Consultant Led Biologics Service: Consultant clinics in the community can offer prescription of specialist medications to treat conditions like Psoriasis, when other treatments have not worked. This is usually offered only in hospitals, so this is a fantastic step in bringing specialist care closer to your home.
- Nurse led Disease Modifying Anti Rheumatic Prescribing Clinics: Our specialist Dermatology Nurse team monitor your progress and overall health whilst you are taking specialist medication, linking with the medical team to ensure we’re providing the best care possible.
- Cryotherapy Service: This is a ‘freezing’ treatment used to remove certain skin lesions
Together with local commissioners, Circle Integrated Care work to transform the way care is delivered, in a positive way.
Our aim is:
- To use digital innovation and technologies to improve speed and quality of access to care.
- To ensure we provide high-quality, cost-effective care in line with best practice.
- To make sure you’re involved in shared decision-making about your care. No decision about you, without you.
- To take a team approach to clinical care, using a range of appropriate professionals, such as Physiotherapists and Osteopaths, alongside Nurses and Doctors.
- To ensure that you see the right clinician, first time.
- Improve population level health by providing expert care
- Fast access to clinical expertise
- One-to-one discussions and tailored treatment plans
- Options to talk about treatment over the phone
- Choice of hospital or local service
- Choice of appointments in the community, closer to home
- Opportunity to give feedback and shape the service
- A co-ordinated journey through the healthcare system for treatment of your condition
One of our founding beliefs at Circle is that by providing information on our clinical results. You can read our 2018/19 Quality Account here.
