The quality of healthcare services in your area is an important factor for many people, and it’s not difficult to see why. We’d all prefer ourselves and our families to be well taken care of, so whether that means quicker access to a GP, shorter waiting times in A&E, or a hospital ward that remains spotless, an efficient and speedy healthcare service is highly sought after. Unfortunately, not all surgeries and facilities across the UK live up to this rigorous standard.
Supply chain issues and the lingering after-effects of the pandemic have put the NHS under strain over recent years, which has taken its toll on the institution. Standards for both public and private healthcare are therefore upheld by the Care Quality Commission (CQC), which conducts regular audits to ensure robust healthcare is being maintained. Examining everything from facility hygiene to the quality of patient care, many locations pass their inspections with ease, but others do not and are required to make improvements.
That’s where Vanguard’s specialism comes in. Boasting over two decades of medical cleaning expertise, we have worked to help numerous medical practices pass their CQC audits by ensuring an outstanding level of premises hygiene. Our staff training procedures are endorsed by the British Institute of Cleaning Science (BICSc), with cleaning teams that possess the skills and knowledge to tend to a wide range of environments, including offices, receptions, waiting rooms, consulting rooms, and more specialist areas.
In Vanguard’s latest healthcare report, we’ll take a look at medical services across Yorkshire. We’ll see which towns and cities have the worst-rated healthcare services as determined by the CQC, and what that might mean for residents living in the area or looking to move.
Despite medical services in Yorkshire generally being rated well, an average of 16.6% services (or over 1 in 8) were rated poorly. That might pose concerns for nearby patients and staff, who would no doubt prefer their healthcare institutions to perform at a higher level.
In more positive news, most of the poorly-rated services (15.2%) were classed as Requires Improvement, which means after changes are made in a couple of important areas, such as facility hygiene, these services might yet get themselves in better shape. Significantly less facilities (1.5%) were rated as Inadequate, which would indicate a critical problem in their everyday operations. If served by those services, local residents would certainly not be blamed for feeling worried about their long-term healthcare prospects.
On the other hand, while many services in Yorkshire are up to scratch, very few of them earned the very best rating of Outstanding (3.9%). This implies a worrying lack of best practice across facilities, and despite the majority of services scoring well, it indicates that across-the-board improvements are still needed to ensure a better standard of healthcare.
Whether you’re simply curious about how your area scores, or are more deeply invested in your healthcare outcome, delve into our ranking of Yorkshire’s worst places for healthcare below.
A small town in the south Yorkshire heartland, South Elmsall boasts an unmistakable industrial heritage. Beginning its journey as an agricultural centre, the area soon pivoted into stone and coal, opening nearby quarries and collieries to help propel the economy of the settlement. Since the closure of these industrial centres, however, South Elmsall has struggled – reflected in the area’s healthcare with 16.7% of local services found below par.
While 57 locations remain unrated, a shocking 7 out of 42 rated facilities in the area were found to be substantially lacking.
A bustling dockside city in the East Riding of Yorkshire, Kingston upon Hull is located on the northern side of the Humber. The city has garnered a rich maritime heritage, from iconic coastal features such as Hull’s Waterside & Marina, to the towering bridge linking the Humber’s northern and southern banks. Despite this, the area’s healthcare leaves much to be desired, with 16.9% of nearby services requiring improvements.
With over 150 rated facilities in the city, 138 have earned positive ratings, whereas 28 services have been found below standards.
As the very namesake of the region, York is an old-world city that has gradually modernised over the years. Combining cobblestone streets and timber-framed buildings with the convenience of retail opportunities and a vibrant nightlife, York remains one of the UK’s largest and most prosperous cities. That has failed to translate across to its healthcare, however, with 17.8% of local healthcare services coming in below par.
That concerning figure breaks down to 7 services rated as Outstanding, 67 rated as Good, 14 as Requires Improvement, and 2 given the unfortunate status of Inadequate.
Todmorden is unique in that it stands at the confluence of a three-pronged valley, with steep inclines and grassy moors surrounding the settlement. The River Calder runs through the mountainous town, which until recently acted as the historical boundary between Yorkshire and Lancashire. In terms of healthcare, though, Todmorden suffers from poor medical performance, with 17.9% of services lacking in certain areas.
While the town may boast 2 Outstanding services, the presence of 5 facilities with a Requires Improvement rating dampens that track record somewhat.
One of the region’s most iconic cathedral cities, Wakefield has a storied history, with archaeological finds dating the city back as far as the Bronze Age. Over this time, Wakefield has been occupied by Romans, Vikings, Anglo-Saxons, and Normans, making it culturally and ethnically diverse. Looking to the present day, however, we find that 18.3% of the city’s healthcare services have failed to meet the CQC’s standards.
That encompasses 24 medical facilities rated as Requires Improvement, while a further 2 services were given an Inadequate rating.
As one of South Yorkshire’s premier market towns, Barnsley is perhaps best known for its flourishing economy. Lying in the shade of the Pennines, the town’s interconnected network of trains and buses means it’s well suited for commuters on their way to Leeds and Sheffield. Not quite as ideal, however, is 19.2% of the area’s healthcare facilities being found below required expectations.
That includes 22 facilities which were given a rating of Requires Improvement, and 2 practices labelled as Inadequate.
As Yorkshire’s largest and most renowned city, Leeds is host to one of the UK’s biggest and most thriving economies, as well as a robust and long-lasting cultural investment program that’s seen important injections into the arts, culture and events for the city. Sadly though, healthcare has not seen the same attention, reflected by 19.2% of the city’s medical facilities failing their most recent CQC audit.
Out of a whopping 317 services that were rated in the city, 10 have achieved the rating of Outstanding, whereas 61 were rated poorly.
Ranking just one place above Yorkshire’s largest city of Leeds – Castleford, Pontefract, and the surrounding towns are located southeast of the wider urban area. Marshes, ponds, and rivers are all in abundance, with attractions in the area including Diggerland, a muddy, JCB-themed family park. Unfortunately, the nearby healthcare services leave much to be desired, with 19.6% of services requiring improvement.
That figure includes a total of 18 services rated as Requires Improvement, although the area boasts 3 locations with an Outstanding rating, indicating a mixed bag of quality across the twin towns.
One of the larger settlements on this list, Bradford is widely known as a sister city to Leeds and Huddersfield. Since the deindustrialisation of Northern England, it has grown into one of West Yorkshire’s biggest economies, with a sizeable population to boot. However, the city’s healthcare has scaled poorly, with 21% of the area’s health facilities being found to be sub-par.
That includes a whopping 41 services that are rated as Requires Improvement, and a shocking 5 locations that are seen as Inadequate, which will no doubt worry residents.
The area between Leeds, Bradford, Huddersfield, and Wakefield is home to a number of settlements including Dewsbury, Batley, Heckmondwike, and Birstall. This suburban sprawl is a patchwork of parks and residential neighbourhoods, with significant populations and therefore a substantial amount of healthcare services, of which 22.4% require improvement.
While that does include 38 locations that are rated poorly, the area also has 6 services rated as Outstanding, which might provide some brighter news for local patients.
Just east of Leeds, Garforth shares much of its healthcare ecosystem with the larger city beside it, but the town and surrounding villages do have their own facilities in addition to this. Unfortunately, many of the nearby services have been found to be lacking in their most recent CQC inspection, with 22.7% of locations needing improvement.
That figure includes 3 surgeries rated Inadequate, which is an unusually worrying stat for an area with such a limited number of facilities.
Home to a beachfront that stretches for miles down the eastern coastline, the seaside town of Bridlington has a deep fishing heritage, and is famed for processing hundreds of tonnes of crustaceans every year. The town also receives a boost from summer tourism every year. Despite this, the area’s healthcare is not-so renowned, with a quarter of facilities in the region being found below expectation.
Out of the town’s several dozen services, 8 are rated as Requires Improvement, whereas 1 has been given the infamous Inadequate rating.
Resting on the north-eastern edge of the Peak District, Stocksbridge is not far from Sheffield. The town itself lies in a valley and is surrounded by multiple woodlands, reservoirs, and rivers, making it a rather picturesque locale. Despite the beautiful views, healthcare in the area could use greater observation, with 28.6% of nearby facilities found to be lacking.
That’s a total of 6 services rated as Requires Improvement, in contrast to only 15 services rated as Good.
Not far north of Bradford lies the town of Keighley, sprawling from the point where the Rivers Aire and Worth converge. The town encompasses a number of outlying villages that congregate around the settlement, including Bingley, Haworth, and Silsden. Unfortunately, the healthcare around the area is far from ideal, with 29.2% of services lacking in major areas.
While the surrounding area boasts 5 locations with an Outstanding rating, it also suffers from 18 locations with a Requires Improvement rating.
Halfway between Hull and Doncaster, Goole is a mid-sized settlement that takes the top spot in our list for the worst healthcare in Yorkshire. Resting on the banks of the Humber, Goole is a major inland dock and acts as a major depot for logistics and shipping, and is capable of handling millions of tonnes of cargo every year. Despite this, healthcare in the port town is suffering, with almost a third of locations being given a rating of Requires Improvement.
This includes a steep 8 medical services out of 25 that have been rated, causing worry to those living nearby.
Vanguard is committed to remaining objective and being fully transparent in how we source our data, which is taken directly from the Care Quality Commission (CQC) website. From there, we search across various locations in Yorkshire to learn the number of healthcare services that have earned Outstanding, Good, Requires Improvement, and Inadequate ratings in each area. We then calculate the percentage of services that are poorly-rated to discover the overall quality of healthcare in the area.
In every area, some services have yet to be rated, so we exclude these from our calculations. In other areas like small villages, there are too few rated services to gain a good sample, so we exclude these from our list as well. Furthermore, to fully assess each location we cast a 5-mile radius over the area to catch all of their healthcare services. Due to the UK being a highly metropolitan area, there will naturally be some crossover between urban areas. For example, Seacroft Hospital will serve both the residents of Leeds and Garforth, meaning it is included in the healthcare radius of both locations.
