Watchdog praises 'outstanding' out of hours service

Service users found care to be convenient and were happy at being seen the same day, a health watchdog says

A service providing out of hours health support in Sheffield has been rated as "outstanding" by a national watchdog.

The rating for Primary Care Sheffield from the Care Quality Commission (CQC) follows an inspection in August, with the service also providing some GP facilities in hubs across the city.

Alan Stephenson, CQC deputy director of operations in the north, said: "We found a service providing exemplary care which gave people the best possible out of hours GP experience."

Primary Care Sheffield Limited, which runs the service and is owned and directed by 75 of the city's general practices, described the report as "the culmination of a huge amount of work".

It is the first time the service has been inspected by the CQC following a change of registration.

"Attending out of hours services can be stressful for people, but kind and caring staff ensured people were at the forefront of their care and were treated respectfully during their appointments," Mr Stephenson said.

Health leaders set up hub services to tackle health inequalities in specific parts of the city, he said, with staff helping to reduce A&E waiting times at Sheffield Children's Hospital by seeing people via GP appointments.

The report said the service demonstrated that staff apologised and gave people support when things went wrong, and that complaints had resulted in change.

Andy Hilton, chief executive of Primary Care Sheffield said: "I found reading the report really humbling.

"If I was to write as a patient how I want primary care services to feel, I think the report pretty much sums it up - it's the culmination of a huge amount of work over many years by a lot of people."

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