Patients in Northumberland have given the thumbs up to their experience of GP surgeries, with overall experience rated as some of the best in England in a newly published survey.
The results of the 2017 GP Patient Survey have been published by NHS England, compiling responses from more than 800,000 people across the country on their experience of healthcare services, with over 5,000 people from Northumberland taking part.
The survey asks patients about a range of issues related to their local GP surgery and other local NHS services. This includes questions about how easy or difficult it is for patients to make an appointment at their surgery, satisfaction with opening hours, and the quality of care received from their GP and practice nurses.
In the survey, 87% of people in Northumberland have rated their experiences as ‘good’ – higher than the national average of 85% – and it showed that more people are finding it easy to make an appointment at their practice than in other areas of the country.
There are 42 GP practices in Northumberland, covering a population of 322,000 people.
Dr Alistair Blair, local GP and Clinical Chair at NHS Northumberland Clinical Commissioning Group said: “We are really pleased with what members of the public have said about services in the area, and would like to thank everyone who took the time to respond to the survey.
“These results are a well-deserved recognition of the high quality of care provided by our local practices, and help to illustrate their commitment to ensuring that patients have a great experience of primary care.
“We want a patient’s experience with their GP practice to be as positive as possible. It’s important that patients can access the right service at the right time for them, with the confidence that they’re getting the best help and advice available.”