Durham County Council case study

High level summary

Health Diagnostics supported Durham County Council’s (DCC’s) NHS Health Check Programme between 2009 and 2017. The work involved providing 99 GP practices and range of community providers across 2 CCGs with everything needed, both from a digital and point-of-care perspective, to deliver and manage the local Programme.

Solution components supplied

  • The ability to query patient databases and identify the eligible cohort
  • A module for targeting invites using risk-stratification devices
  • Automated invite processing from an NHS approved mailing house
  • An interactive tool for patient-focused health check delivery
  • Electronic data transfer to patient records
  • Provider invoicing
  • Analytic intelligence on local health trends and provider performance
  • CPD certified training
  • Provision of all point of care equipment, consumables and quality assurance
  • Consultative services and support on all elements of delivery/administration

Local outcomes

Uptake improvements

  • According to Public Health England data, Health Diagnostics were able to help increase the uptake of NHS Health Checks in DCC by around 57%
  • Before Health Diagnostics began supporting practices with the identification/invite process, NHS Health Check uptake was at 41.3%. With systems and support provided by Health Diagnostics, practices in DCC reached an average uptake level of 64.9%
  • Following the end of the contract period, average uptake fell to 24.1%

Doing more with less

  • Following the withdrawal of Health Diagnostics’ solution at the end of the contract period in quarter 4, 2016-17, there was a 63% decrease in the level of uptake
  • At the same time, general practices increased the average number of invites they were sending each quarter by 61%
  • When using Health Diagnostics’ solution, general practices were therefore able to be highly targeted and to achieve more with less
  • The chart below demonstrates average invites sent per quarter before, during and after Health Diagnostics’ involvement in the programme:

Approval ratings amongst service users

  • Outcomes from survey of 1054 people in DCC that received a consultation with a trained professional using Health Diagnostics’ solution:
    • 91.5% were ‘very satisfied’ with their health check
    • 99.9% would recommend a health check to others

Approval ratings amongst providers and commissioners

  • Key outcomes from a survey that was distributed across DCC’s primary care network include:
    • 8/10 rate the set-up support they received from Health Diagnostics as good-excellent
    • 8/10 C4L Champions said that Health Options® was more effective for communicating CVD risk than any system previously used
  • According to Jacqui Deakin, Health Improvement Lead at NHSCDD:
    • “The NHS Foundation Trust has worked very closely with Health Diagnostics for a number of years to make the Check4Life programme what it is today. As an organisation, they are the most ‘can-do’ flexible team I’ve ever known. Health Diagnostics have been absolutely fantastic to work with.”