THE organisation responsible for commissioning health care in York and Selby has been given official approval.

NHS England said Vale of York Clinical Commissioning Group – which was set up last April – had successfully satisfied all the requirements of its “authorisation process”.

This means that the organisation; which is led by local GPs and commissions the healthcare services for around 333,000 people in the Vale of York area, has fulfilled all the necessary criteria, increasing its powers in commissioning local healthcare.

Chief operating officer Rachel Potts said: “We have come a very long way in such a short time and the announcement that we are fully authorised is testament to the hard work of our staff.”

Chief clinical officer Dr Mark Hayes said: “Delivering real improvements in patient care drives our work.”