Primary Care Sheffield – a not-for-profit organisation set up by all of the GP practices in the City – has been named as “Primary and Community Care Provider of the Year” at a major national awards ceremony.
The prestigious HSJ Awards celebrated stars of the NHS last night at a glitzy ceremony in central London, with celebrity author, comedian and Britain’s Got Talent judge David Walliams hosting.
Award winner Primary Care Sheffield (PCS) was set up by Sheffield’s GP practices in 2016 as a vehicle for change – to build services which helped people live healthier and happier lives. The organisation works to bring more services closer to the places people live, improve the quality of care, and break down the barriers between different types of services.
In 2021/22 PCS provided over 85,000 appointments at-scale in the community. These included weekend and evening appointments, physio, mental health, vasectomy, ECG, sexual health and gynaecology. If asked to do so then Primary Care Sheffield will take over management of practices in the City which are experiencing difficulty. It now runs seven practices – practices which could have been lost if action wasn’t taken. In August 2022 the Darnall, Mulberry and Highgate practices run by PCS were rated as ‘Outstanding’ by the Care Quality Commission. These practices serve some of the most deprived communities in the City.
Dr Andy Hilton, Chief Executive of Primary Care Sheffield said, “This is fantastic news for Sheffield and for general practice in the City which is doing amazing things at the moment, despite being under huge pressure.
“It’s been a really difficult time for the NHS – a pandemic, massive demand, not enough resources, and low morale – but in Sheffield we’re working collectively to find solutions.
“I am proud that Primary Care Sheffield is playing a huge part in transforming services for people in Sheffield. We’ve grown rapidly to ensure we can deliver high-quality services and we are trying new things which are leading the way for change nationally.
“I want to dedicate this award to the work of our amazing team who are the most dedicated, compassionate, and hard-working bunch you could ever meet. This award is theirs, and they thoroughly deserve the national recognition that comes with it.”
