GP Patient Survey 2022 reveals Bury's best GP surgeries

The GP Patient Survey 2022, carried out on behalf of NHS England, asked residents for their views on their doctors' surgeries across a range of different areas.

The survey reflects upon patient experiences over the past year rating efficiency of the receptionists, access to appointments, access to a specific GP and several other categories.

One of the most important statistics to come out of the report is the overall patient satisfaction rating which saw Longfield Medical Practice come out on top.

RESULTS: Percentage of patients who rated their overall experience as good from highest to lowest across GP’s in Bury.

LONGFIELD MEDICAL PRACTICE- 82 per cent

RIBBLESDALE MEDICAL PRACTICE- 81 per cent

RADCLIFFE MEDICAL PRACTICE- 81 per cent

TOWNSIDE SURGERY- 77 per cent

TOWER FAMILY HEALTHCARE- 77 per cent

BLACKFORD HOUSE MEDICAL CENTRE- 76 per cent

WHITTAKER LANE MEDICAL CENTRE- 75 per cent

GARDEN CITY MEDICAL CENTRE- 72 per cent

KNOWSLEY MEDICAL CENTRE- 71 per cent

HUNTLEY MOUNT MEDICAL CENTRE- 71 per cent

FAIRFAX GROUP PRACTICE- 70 per cent

GREYLAND MEDICAL CENTRE- 67 per cent

MONARCH MEDICAL CENTRE- 67 per cent

MILE LANE HEALTH CENTRE- 66 per cent

RED BANK GROUP PRACTICE- 66 per cent

UNSWORTH MEDICAL CENTRE- 62 per cent

RAMSBOTTOM MEDICAL PRACTICE- 61 per cent

PEEL GPS- 60 per cent

ST GABRIELS MEDICAL CENTRE- 59 per cent

WOODBANK SURGERY- 58 per cent

WALMERSLEY ROAD MEDICAL PRACTICE- 58 per cent

ROCK HEALTHCARE LIMITED- 57 per cent

THE UPLANDS MEDICAL PRACTICE- 47 per cent

THE BIRCHES MEDICAL CENTRE- 44 per cent

THE ELMS MEDICAL CENTRE- 38 per cent

Those listed who scored over 72 per cent surpassed the national average in positive overall GP experiences.

The 2022 reports highest and lowest ratings (82 per cent and 38 per cent) are considerably lower than those seen in 2021 (93 per cent and 57 per cent).

Patients also rated several other categories with the one receiving the highest ratings for most GPs in Bury being the helpfulness of receptionists.

The top ratings in this category came from Longfield and Whittaker Lane medical centres which both received a rating of 90 per cent.

In rating how easy it is to access the GP via phone, Knowsley Medical Centre (82 per cent), Greyland Medical Centre (77 per cent) and Townside Surgery (73 per cent) scored the highest, far surpassing the national average of 53 per cent.

One of the poorer performing categories for most Bury GPs fell under the patient’s ability to speak or see a specific GP.

The practice with the best ratings for letting patients see a specific GP is Mile Lane Health (62 per cent) and the practice with the lowest rating was Uplands Medical Centre (11 per cent).

When describing the appointment-making experience as good, only seven out of the 26 Bury GPs surpassed the national average (56 per cent).

The highest rated practices being Ribblesdale Medical Practice (70 per cent), Knowsley Medical Centre (70 per cent) and Radcliffe Medical Practice (68 per cent).

The lowest rated practices were The Birches medical (22 per cent), The Elms Medical Centre (28 per cent) and The Uplands Medical Centre (31 per cent).

The Ipsos Mori survey, completed by 2,189 NHS patients in Bury CCG has also shown that patient satisfaction levels are at their lowest level since 2018.

Speaking about the 2022 survey results, Cllr Tamoor Tariq, cabinet member for adult care, health and wellbeing at the council, said: “It's reassuring that all of our primary care networks score very close to the national average on indicators such as overall experience of GP practice, confidence and trust in healthcare professionals and satisfaction with appointment offered. 

"This is testament to the hard work and professionalism of GPs and the wider primary care team.

“For some indicators there were more mixed results, for example, ease of access to the practice by phone and overall experience of making an appointment.

"This reflects the increased demand on general practice as a result of the pressure and delays across the healthcare system as a whole. 

"We recognise that there are concerns about access, and our practices are working really hard to provide a comprehensive and timely service.”

The National Patient Survey offers an important opportunity for patients to have their say about how well they feel their GP practice is doing at providing services to patients.

An NHS spokesperson said: “GP practices across the borough have done a remarkable job, maintaining services as far as possible during the course of the pandemic, and implementing new ways of working, in addition doing an incredible job in delivering the Covid-19 vaccination programme locally.

“As is the case across the region, in Bury, the impact of the pandemic has been very severe right across the whole health and care system, leading to increased pressure on GP services. Demand for appointments are around a third higher than before the pandemic.

“The findings of the survey provide important insight into patients’ experiences, and in addition to feedback from local patient satisfaction surveys, helps Practices build on the high-quality care they provide.

“As a borough, we are currently reviewing in detail the outcome of the 2022 GP Patient Survey to reflect on the results at borough level, at Primary Care Network level, and at individual Practice level.”

To see and compare GP results, click here.