THE three Clinical Commissioning Groups in the Bradford district have been rated as ‘good’ by NHS England for their performance in the last financial year.

Bradford City, Bradford Districts, and Airedale, Wharfedale and Craven CCGs all received the rating for their work in a number of areas.

The ratings are given using the NHS’s Improvement and Assessment Framework, which gives an assessment made up from progress in a number of areas, including the six national clinical priorities, which include cancer, mental health, and dementia.

Each of these areas is already a priority for the three CCGs as they align with the Bradford district and Craven five-year strategic plan, which aimed to improve the health of people in the area and to provide high quality care while making sure services are sustainable and fit for the future.

Dr Akram Khan, clinical chairman at Bradford City CCG, said: “We have been working hard for a number of years on many of the areas highlighted by the assessment framework.

“I am proud of the work we have done in the area of dementia.

“We have some unique challenges in our inner city with high levels of deprivation and life expectancy not at the levels we would hope for our residents.

“Our goal is to reduce these health inequalities and ensure all of our initiatives continue to have this goal at their heart.

“We know that we have more work to do in the areas of cancer and mental health, and we are working closely with local partners, including Airedale, Wharfedale and Craven and Bradford Districts CCGs to improve on these areas.”

Dr Andy Withers, clinical chairman at Bradford Districts CCG, added: “Our CCG has performed well across all three national clinical priority areas and we welcome the rating of good.

“It’s a reflection of the work we have been doing across the local health and care system. Our system still struggles to cope with demand and we will work hard with the hospitals to improve A&E waiting times and get back on track to ensure people are treated within the 18-week referral to treatment target.

“There is much more that can be done and we will continue with our ambition to improve the way services are delivered for the population we serve.”

Dr James Thomas, clinical chairman at Airedale, Wharfedale and Craven CCG, said: “We know that there are areas we need to work on, especially to improve patient satisfaction with GP services.

“Together with extra investment from NHS England, we expect to show development in this area over the next year.

“We also hope to show improvement around the area of mental health.

"Recently, together with partners, we launched a new five year strategy, Mental Wellbeing in Bradford District and Craven: 2016-2021, which sets outs our vision and actions to transform care for people in our area.”