Vale of York out-of-hours GP services rated ‘good’ by CQC
Out-of-hours GP services in York and Selby have been rated ‘good’ by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).
In August the CQC inspected the urgent care centre and out-of-hours GP service at York Hospital, as well as the out-of-hours GP service at Selby War Memorial Hospital.
Out-of-hours GP services operate when GP surgeries are closed between 6.30pm and 8am, including on weekends and bank holidays.
In the Vale of York, these services are provided by Yorkshire Doctors Urgent Care (YDUC), part of urgent care specialist provider Vocare, on behalf of the NHS Vale of York Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG).
In grading these services, the CQC examined whether they were safe, effective, caring, well-led and responsive to people’s needs.
A ‘good’ rating is second only to ‘excellent’ in the CQC’s four-tier grading system, with ‘satisfactory’ and ‘poor’ the other two classifications.
The inspectors evaluated the quality of the services by speaking to staff members, analysing patient feedback, reviewing pre-existing information about the service and considering information provided by other organisations.
Among the CQC’s findings, they found that:
- The services had good facilities and were well equipped to treat patients and their needs.
- Patients said they were treated with compassion, dignity and respect and they were involved in their care and decisions about their treatment.
- Patients’ care needs were assessed and delivered in a timely way according to need.
- Staff assessed patients’ needs and delivered care in line with current evidence-based guidance. Staff had been trained to equip them with the skills they need.
- There was a clear leadership structure and staff felt supported by management. The services proactively sought feedback from staff and patients, which they acted on.
Mike Connolly, regional director of Yorkshire Doctors Urgent Care, said: “We are thrilled that all five urgent care services that we operate in Yorkshire have been rated as ‘good’ by the Care Quality Commission.
“Urgent care is only ever a success for patients when every part of the system is working together. It therefore stands to reason that achieving this consistent level of ratings reflects the positive team culture that we have developed in the area, not just among our own staff but also with our partners.
“We have worked hard to build strong and collaborative relationships of trust with the Ambulance Service, the Hospital A&E team, the District Nursing Team, GPs on the patch and both the Clinical Commissioning Groups we work with in the area.
“I would like to take this opportunity to thank my team but also all our partners for the part they played in this success story. We look forward to continuing to work with them to improve our services for those that we serve.”
Dr Andrew Phillips, a local GP and joint medical director at the CCG, said: “We are very pleased that the out-of-hours GP services at York and Selby hospitals have been awarded ‘good’ ratings by the CQC following their August inspections. I think that it’s great news to have good evidence that we have a safe and reliable out-of-hours service in the Vale of York.
“Credit must go to Yorkshire Doctors Urgent Care because in the couple of years the services have been running we’ve had really positive feedback from patients about the level of care provided."
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