Jeremy Hunt kept his suit and tie on during a visit to a patient’s Surbiton home last week.
The health minister praised social enterprise Your Healthcare during the visit to patient Bernard Homa’s home, which was not publicised beforehand.
He said in a statement released afterwards: "It was excellent to see first-hand how well integrated care is working in Kingston, helping people like Bernard get the specialist care they need in the comfort of his own home, without unnecessary hospital trips.
"Integration is the way forward for patients and the NHS and it’s great to see Your Healthcare doing such a wonderful job."
Your Healthcare, which took on £24m worth of contracts over five years from NHS Kingston when it launched in 2010, is due to publish its annual report shortly.
It has so far avoided the fate of nearby Central Surrey Health, which was launched as a similar social enterprise in 2006 but failed to win a £500m contract for community services in south west and north west Surrey after being outbid by Assure Medical owned by Virgin Healthcare.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here