A GP from Bradford has been nominated for national General Practitioner (GP) of the year Award.

Dr Sohail Ahmed, 38, who took over a surgery in Halifax two years ago, has been nominated by his staff and patients as GP of the year in the General Practice Awards.

The organisation was on the brink of collapse before Dr Sohail and his team joined and turned it into a thriving practice.

The surgery has achieved several accreditations including Mindful Employer, Disability Confident employer, Pride in Practice, and veteran friendly status.

The General Practice Awards are the most prestigious awards for primary care professionals and celebrate the work they have done.

With the past year being one of the toughest GP’s have had to date, with COVID, Vaccine distribution, Flu jabs and Boosters, all GP’s have worked to the best of their ability, which makes being nominated and shortlisted an even bigger achievement.

Dr Sohail who is Vice Chair of the community organisation Bradford 4 Better said: “It’s a privilege to be recognised, especially during such a tough year.

“Everyone in the NHS has worked hard this year, trying to deliver the best service they can for their patients.

“Though I got nominated, it’s always a team effort; we are all involved, from receptionists to managers and clinicians.

“We see a lot of negative press about GP’s and unfortunately the hard work of the majority is overshadowed by the negativity, but we are doing the best we can.”

Dr Sohail has created as social media platform for his patients to increase the transparency and accountability within the surgery.

The campaign which can be followed online, #GP4Better, works to increase communication between patients and the surgery so that the organisation can be made aware of any issues such as the struggle to book appointments or speak to a GP.

“A lot of the time people complain but their voices aren’t heard because they feel nobody’s listening, but with #GP4Better we hope to give our patients a voice and platform to help increase communications and resolve issues.”

During the pandemic, Dr Sohail introduced a welfare officer and regular welfare checks for his staff as well incentives to boost morale and wellbeing. The surgery also has a thriving Patient Representatives Group, one of the largest in the U.K, with over twenty members, which Dr Sohail believes is crucial in empowering patients to have a say in the care and services they are provided.

The award ceremony will be held in London on Friday December 10.