A GP GROUP with practices in Skipton, Gargrave and South Craven has been awarded a new accolade.

Modality, which runs Fisher Medical in Skipton, and a clinic in Gargrave in addition to Steeton Health Centre and Silsden Health Centre has won the Primary Care Project of the Year honour in the inaugural Bradford District and Craven Health and Care Partnership Awards.

The award was in recognition of the GP partnership's "commitment to non-medical support".

This year, Modality – which runs a total of ten practices across Airedale, Wharfedale and Craven – has provided more than 40,000 non-medical health and wellbeing appointments, in response to patient requirements for community-based support.

The group has a non-medical team consisting of 20 healthcare workers, including social prescribers and specialist health coaches for a range of conditions spanning dementia, mental health, nutrition and substance addiction.

Helen Gatiss, a social prescriber with Modality, says: "Social prescribing focuses on supporting people with a range of social, emotional or practical needs, with many schemes centred on improving mental health and physical wellbeing in response to specific long-term conditions.

"Our team of non-medical specialists provides a new model of care that exists to meet the shifting needs of many patients who benefit from other kinds of community-based support outside of a traditional doctor-patient setting.

"For example, around 30 per cent of our patients have conditions strongly linked to a wider context, such as loneliness, isolation, depression or an unhealthy lifestyle. We find out about people’s predicaments and create a personalised care plan that opens them up to fantastic community groups – which they may previously have been unaware of – that are able to offer physical or mental wellbeing support and make improvements to their life."

Also, through the Local Community Grants programme, Modality has helped secure more than £500,000 in funding during the past three years for a variety of organisations based locally – including Highfield Community Association, Missing Peace and Keighley Healthy Living.

A campaign led by Bradford District and Craven Health and Care Partnership – It’s a GP Practice Thing – aims to raise public awareness of how practices are working, the range of services offered and their specialist healthcare professionals, such as social prescribers, who are available to help meet people’s needs.

As part of Baby Awareness Week, Modality last Thursday (November 16) took part in a baby wellbeing event in the Airedale Shopping Centre, Keighley. Parents were able to discover more about services available in the district to support babies and children, and receive advice and information about immunisations and breastfeeding.