A YORK GP practice is the first in the city to be rated ‘outstanding’ by a national health watchdog.

Haxby Group, which currently runs 11 surgery sites– six in York and five in Hull - received the accolade from the Care Quality Commission (CQC) following a comprehensive announced inspection in November.

In York, it was rated as outstanding for providing effective, caring and well-led services, and for its treatment of older people and families, children and young people, while other areas were rated good.

The group’s clinical lead, Professor Mike Holmes, said the inspection was very thorough, and news of the rating was ‘absolutely brilliant.’

He said: “It is a credit to every member of our team, across all our sites.

“Haxby Group has a good reputation for recruiting, training, developing and retaining the best and most talented people in the business.

“This rating recognises this and highlights their commitment to Haxby Group and our patients. I’m extremely proud of every single one of them.”

He added that the rating was ‘just the start of our journey to become the best community-based healthcare provider in the region,

Michelle Carrington, of NHS Vale of York Clinical Commissioning Group, said the practice thoroughly deserved its rating because it was an ‘excellent example of what outstanding care looks like.’

She added: “The practice has a clear vision of promoting safety and quality care with high standards.”

Beverley Cole, of the CQC, said she offered her congratulations to the staff of both practices.

She said:“What makes Haxby Group practices outstanding is their proactive approach to quality and sustainability of primary care.

“They have introduced new roles, for example paramedics and primary care practitioners and have established competency frameworks for staff at all levels to ensure that they are well trained and supported. Feedback from staff was extremely positive.”

She said all feedback from patients about the care they received.was also very positive.

The CQC report said that the practice provided care in a way that kept patients safe and protected them from avoidable harm, and patients received effective care and treatment that met their needs.

It said: “Patients received effective care and treatment that met their needs.

“Staff dealt with patients with kindness and respect and involved them in decisions about their care.”

It said practice interventions had helped avoid hospital admissions and it had had effective approaches to childhood immunisations.

It also offered patients the opportunity to self-administer an injectable contraceptive, with the nursing team providing education and support. “The service gave patients choice and increased the availability of nurse appointments.”