Northumberland GP surgery receives full marks from patients in NHS England survey

Results from the 2020 GP Patient Survey show that GP surgeries in the county are performing above the national average when it comes to patient experience.

Nearly 5,000 people in Northumberland took part and have shared their experiences of using healthcare services.

Patients were asked to share their views about the process of making appointments, their perceptions and experience of care and the quality of services provided.

These results come at a time of change in the NHS, as video and telephone appointments have been optimised whilst the NHS has been responding to the Covid-19 pandemic.

In the survey, 84% of people in Northumberland have rated their experiences as ‘good’ – higher than the national average of 82% - and people were satisfied with the choice and type of appointment they were offered.

In Wooler, 100% of patients at The Glendale Surgery and in Prudhoe, 100% of patients at The Adderlane Surgery said they were able to easily contact the surgery by phone and rated the reception staff as helpful.

Patients in Northumberland also highlighted that they find it easy to access services and look for information online, with 80% of people rating their GP practice’s website as easy to use, compared to the national average of 76%.

Across the county, 82% of people said they have had enough support from local services or organisations over the past 12 months to help them manage long-term health conditions compared to the 77% national average.

Dr Graham Syers, clinical chairman for NHS Northumberland CCG, said: “We are thrilled with these results.

"NHS Northumberland CCG is committed to working with and supporting GP practices to ensure that the care patients receive is of high quality.

"Patient feedback is vital so that we know what is working well and areas that can be improved upon.

“There have been lots of changes in how people have been accessing their GP surgeries and receiving care over the last few months due to the Covid-19 pandemic and we would like to thank people for their understanding and support.”

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