- GP practice
Dr's H.C. Ash, K.A. Harris & J.E. Hirst Also known as Dearne Valley Health Centre
Assessment report published 12 May 2026
Contents
Ratings
Our view of the service
Date of Assessment: 15 April 2026. Dr’s H.C. Ash, K.A. Harris J.E. Hirst, also known as Dearne Valley Health Centre, is a GP practice which delivers services to approximately 4,600 people under a contract held with NHS England. According to the latest available data, the ethnic make-up of the service area is approximately 97% White, 0.8% Asian, 1.7% Mixed, 0.2% Black and 0.2% Other. Information published by the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities shows deprivation within the service population group is in the 9th decile (9 of 10). The lower the decile, the more deprived the service population is relative to others.
This was a focused assessment. We undertook this assessment due to the length of time since our last assessment. We assessed 10 quality statements from across all 5 key questions. This assessment considered the demographics of the people using the service, the context the service was working within and how this impacted service delivery. Where relevant, further commentary is provided in the quality statements section of this report.
There were enough staff with the right skills, qualifications and experience. Staff kept facilities clean and maintained equipment appropriately to ensure people were kept safe. However, there were some gaps in how the practice assessed and managed the risk of infection. Staff supported people to live healthier lives, monitoring their care and treatment to ensure they received positive and consistent outcomes. Staff treated people with kindness, empathy and compassion, and respected their privacy and dignity. People could access care, treatment and support when they needed it. Leaders and staff were alert to discrimination and inequality that could disadvantage groups of people who used the service and sought ways to address any barriers. The service had a clear vision and strategy, which considered the needs of the people who used their service and the wider community. Staff understood their individual roles and responsibilities. Leaders accounted for the actions, behaviours and performance of staff through clear and effective governance processes.
People's experience of this service
As part of our assessment, we reviewed feedback from people who used the service to understand their views and experience of the service. This included speaking with people using the service at the time of our assessment and reviewing other feedback available to us. People were very positive about the quality of their care and treatment. They described how staff were caring and understanding and provided exceptional care. This was reflected in the results of recent surveys, including the 2025 National GP Patient Survey, which showed most people were satisfied. For example, the percentage of respondents who responded positively to the overall experience of their GP practice was 94%, compared to the local average of 77% and the national average of 75%. There was an active patient participation group (PPG) who represented the views of people using the service.