Jorvik Gillygate Practice

On this page

• Overview
• Shared direction and culture
• Capable, compassionate and inclusive leaders
• Freedom to speak up
• Workforce equality, diversity and inclusion
• Governance, management and sustainability
• Partnerships and communities
• Learning, improvement and innovation

We looked for evidence that service leadership, management and governance assured high-quality, person-centred care; supported learning and innovation; and promoted an open, fair culture

At our last assessment, we rated this key question as good. At this assessment, the rating remains the same.

This service scored 82 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

Jorvik Gillygate Practice had a shared vision, strategy, and culture. This was based on transparency, equity, equality and human rights, diversity and inclusion, engagement, and understanding challenges and the needs of people and their communities.

Although not all staff who provided feedback to CQC stated that they had been involved in the development of the strategy, most stated that the practice had a clear vision for the future. Most staff also stated that they liked working for the practice and that there was a good atmosphere.

All staff stated that there was a positive culture with one commenting that “We work hard to deliver a positive, inclusive, and supportive culture, with strong teamwork, open communication, and have a shared commitment to delivering high-quality patient care.”

Jorvik Gillygate Practice had inclusive leaders at all levels who understood the context in which they delivered care, treatment, and support.

Leaders had the skills, knowledge, experience, and credibility to lead effectively. They did so with integrity, openness, and honesty. They embodied the culture and values of their workforce and organisation.

Most staff told us leaders in the practice were approachable and responded to any concerns raised. Most staff also told us that they felt listened to and were able to speak up.

Leaders worked collaboratively with other practices within the primary care network and played an active role in the development of primary care services across the local area. This demonstrated capable leadership and a commitment to partnership working to improve population health.

Jorvik Gillygate Practice took part in neighbourhood working across the York Central area, covering 4 wards and a population of around 48,800 people. Leaders worked with partners to develop a place‑based approach to care, making use of existing assets such as a Family Hub, a Mental Health Hub and neighbouring GP practices. This partnership approach was formalised through a multi‑agency meeting in November 2025 involving primary care, the Integrated Care Board and City of York Council, which led to the creation of a Partnership Board to provide leadership and oversight for the pilot phase.

Leaders used population data to understand local needs and inequalities, particularly for people living with both mental health and long‑term conditions and those with high or complex service use. This informed a focus on coordinated, proactive support and better use of community assets to strengthen engagement and reduce pressure on services. Early learning highlighted the importance of integrated working across health, social care and community services, alongside clarity about system boundaries. Next steps focus on strengthening collaboration and moving into delivery, including deeper partner engagement, face‑to‑face workshops to build relationships, and involving secondary care to improve shared understanding of challenges and patient needs.

Jorvik Gillygate Practice fostered a positive culture where people felt they could speak up and their voice would be heard.

It had established Freedom to Speak up (FTSU) arrangements with the other practice in their primary care network and most staff confirmed in feedback to CQC that they were aware of how to raise concerns, and how to contact the FTSU guardian.

Jorvik Gillygate Practice valued diversity in their workforce. They worked towards an inclusive and fair culture by improving equality and equity for people who work for them.

The practice had appropriate policies and procedures in place to promote equality and diversity, and Equality, Diversity and Inclusion training was mandatory and completed by all staff.

Additional training to support equality and diversity within the team had also been provided by a specialist external provider, specifically Mental Health Awareness training (to help colleagues recognise potential indicators and enable early support where needed) and Anti-Bullying training (to support understanding of why some colleagues may be treated differently in the workplace and to raise awareness of what constitutes bullying).

The practice proactively implemented reasonable adjustments to support staff to work safely and effectively, including specialist and ergonomic equipment, noise‑reducing headsets, and access to quieter workspaces.

Staff with neurodiverse needs, including ADHD and autism, were supported through reasonable adjustment passports, which set out tailored adjustments such as flexible working, communication adaptations, task‑prioritisation support, and environmental adjustments.

The practice also supported staff through flexible start and finish times, home working where appropriate, protected administrative time, phased returns following absence, communication adjustments, and access to assistive technology to reduce cognitive load and support effective working.

While many governance processes were well established at Jorvik Gillygate Practice, certain areas required review to strengthen oversight and monitoring.

For example, as highlighted under ‘Medicines optimisation,’ areas for improvement were identified with regards to patients with asthma who had been prescribed 2 or more courses of rescue steroids in the last 12 months and patients prescribed SGLT2 inhibitors (medication primarily used to manage blood sugar levels in people with type 2 diabetes).

In addition, as highlighted under ‘Monitoring and improving outcomes,’ clinical oversight systems also required strengthening to ensure that prescribing and monitoring arrangements aligned with current guidance and follow-ups were not missed/delayed for certain patients who required repeat testing and annual reviews.

On a positive note, however, the practice had clearly defined roles, responsibilities, and systems of accountability and leaders and managers supported staff. All staff we spoke with were clear on their individual roles and responsibilities and staff could access all required policies and procedures.

Managers held regular meetings with staff, during which they discussed concerns and any issues. In feedback to the CQC, most staff confirmed that they had the opportunity to attend meetings, and most staff felt their views were listened to and acted upon.

Staff took patient confidentiality and information security seriously.

Jorvik Gillygate Practice clearly understood and performed their duty to collaborate and work in partnership, and services worked seamlessly for people. They always share information and learning with partners and collaborate for improvement.

For example, the practice had completed joint clinical audit and improvement activity with the other practice within the York City PCN which included a Cancer diagnosis audit, cardiovascular disease improvement work and a medication safety audit looking at patients prescribed DOACs (a class of blood-thinning medications that reduce the risk of blood clots). This work had led to improvements in consistency across clinical pathways and also reduced medication-related risk through structured pharmacist review.

In addition, the practice helped develop the city's Same Day Urgent Care Hubs, launched for winter 2025–26. Working with the GP Provider Collaborative and other local practices, it supported the creation of 3 hubs that offered same‑day urgent appointments and handled Pharmacy First referrals. This joint approach helped reduce pressure on individual practices, ensured fairer access to urgent appointments and freed up GP time for patients with more complex needs.

Further examples of collaborative working are provided in other sections of this report, such as the work the practice has done with the PCN on Cancer-Screening non-responders and frailty management, the neighbourhood work done within the York Central area and the work undertaken by the Patient Participation Group to support patient engagement, health promotion, and vulnerable groups within the community.

In addition, the practice has actively supported local and national charities. In the last year this had included donations to a local hospice, two national cancer charities and a dementia charity, alongside regular donations of Christmas gifts and food to local charities.

Jorvik Gillygate Practice had a strong focus on continuous learning, innovation and improvement across the organisation and local system. They always encouraged creative ways of delivering equality of experience, outcome, and quality of life for people. They actively contributed to safe, effective practice and research.

At the time of our assessment, the practice was actively involved in research activity. It was recruiting patients for a study on urinary tract infections and had recently supported studies relating to asthma and non‑alcoholic fatty liver disease. This demonstrated a commitment to learning and contributing to evidence‑based practice.

The practice had also introduced innovative ways to improve long‑term condition management. In 2024, it developed a lipid pathway to identify and support patients eligible for statin treatment for secondary prevention. This included the use of targeted text messages and pharmacist‑led screening, with reminder texts to improve safety and understanding for patients starting treatment. This approach had led to improved Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) performance over the past two years.

The pharmacy team also reviewed patients who were prescribed statins but did not appear to be taking them regularly. Where appropriate, a clear statin intolerance pathway was followed. The practice planned to expand this work in 2026 to include patients who may benefit from statins for primary prevention.

The practice had clear plans to support further learning and improvement. These included introducing systems to standardise and automate clinical and administrative processes to reduce the risk of errors, improve consistency in reviews and reduce administrative workload. A Clinical Quality Improvement Lead role was also planned to support safer systems and embed a culture of continuous improvement.

Further work was planned to free up administrative and IT capacity through automation and improved workflows, including moving the accounts system to a cloud‑based platform. The practice also had plans to improve its premises by increasing consultation space and improving the use of existing areas, supported by external funding. These developments were intended to improve capacity, access and staff efficiency, and support the delivery of safe and effective care.

The practice had actively engaged with the General Practice Improvement Programme (GPIP), an NHS England initiative that provides structured, practical support to help GP practices manage increasing demand and improve patient access. Engagement with GPIP focused on key areas including capacity and demand planning, care navigation and triage processes, and improvements to telephony and online access.

As a result, the practice had implemented changes that led to measurable benefits for patients. These included an increased proportion of patients able to book appointments online compared with the previous year; enhanced telephone triage processes that enabled patients to be appropriately directed to the right clinician in a timely way; and more streamlined recall and care navigation systems, which supported improved continuity of care and strengthened patient safety.