Clinical correspondence is the backbone of safe, effective general practice but it is also one of the most resource-intensive tasks. For Heathrow Medical Centre, a busy London practice with more than 6,700 patients, managing over 1,600 incoming letters each month had become increasingly difficult. Backlogs were growing, clinicians were diverted into paperwork, and administrators were under constant pressure.
The challenge
Heathrow Medical Centre identified three key challenges that were undermining service quality:
- Volume overload – averaging 400 letters per week, spanning hospital discharges, diagnostic reports, and consultant summaries.
- Slow turnaround times – routine correspondence could take up to seven days to process, creating risk of delays in patient care.
- Clinician time lost to admin – GPs were spending five to six hours per week managing correspondence instead of patient consultations.
The partners recognised they faced a critical decision: find a scalable solution or risk compromising both patient care and team retention.
The CuraSky intervention
CuraSky partnered with Heathrow Medical Centre to implement its managed clinical correspondence service. The approach combined offshore operational capacity with robust UK clinical governance, ensuring both efficiency and safety:
- Dedicated offshore support – correspondence handled by trained CuraSky staff in India at a cost of £10.50 per hour.
- Rigorous training and QA – staff trained on NHS workflows, SNOMED coding, and escalation processes, with systematic quality checks.
- Governance built in – all work subject to audit, with urgent items escalated directly to accountable clinicians in the UK.
The outcomes
Within the first three months, Heathrow Medical Centre reported clear, measurable benefits:
- Backlog eliminated – all correspondence processed within 24-48 hours.
- 70% reduction in GP admin time – freeing up four hours per GP weekly – time now spent with patients.
- Cost-effective scaling – more than 1,200 letters processed monthly at a fraction of the cost of additional in-house staff.
- Improved patient safety – urgent items flagged within hours, with zero missed escalations since implementation.
A GP partner at Heathrow Medical Centre reflected:
CuraSky's model has transformed how we work. We've regained control of our correspondence, reduced pressure on clinicians, and strengthened patient safety. It has been an investment that continues to pay off.
A replicable model
Heathrow Medical Centre's experience shows that with the right governance and processes; outsourcing can relieve pressure without compromising safety. By combining trusted oversight with cost-effective offshore support, CuraSky enables practices to:
- Clear correspondence backlogs reliably.
- Release valuable clinician time.
- Build resilience against fluctuating demand.
- Improve patient safety through consistent, auditable processes.
