Ampleforth Surgery: Doctor's surgery in Yorkshire moors village shares shocking photos of fire damage caused by arson attack which 'traumatised' staff

Ampleforth Surgery in Ryedale, and on the edge of the North York Moors National Park, suffered the damage in an arson attack on Tuesday in which a member of staff was also assaulted. The man was in possession of a knife and threatened to harm himself before starting the fire in the reception area.

The suspect, aged in his 60s, has since been charged with arson with intent to endanger life, assault, affray and possession of a knife and appeared at York Magistrates Court yesterday.

The practice is part of a group alongside a surgery in the nearby village of Hovingham. A statement from the partners read: “The incident at Ampleforth Surgery which took place earlier this week will continue to cause disruption to our services for the foreseeable future.

"Not only did it cause severe damage to the building, the distressing event has deeply affected every member of our team and will continue to do so for a long time.

"We are working as quickly as possible to ensure that regular services can continue, and we are receiving support from our neighbouring practices in this. Patients who are affected are being contacted and we ask for patience as we work through this.

"We await an insurance assessment to review the damage and repairs required. We will share more information about the reopening of our Ampleforth site when it is possible to do so. Thank you to our patients, community and NHS colleagues for your continued support.”

Staff are also receiving post-traumatic event counselling sessions. Patients described the surgery team as ‘wonderful, friendly and caring’ in comments posted on social media.