Clean bill of health for Northumberland GP practices

Friday 19 July 2019

Patients in Northumberland have given their GP practices a clean bill of health, according to the latest national research.

84 per cent of patients rated their overall experience as good and more than nine out of 10 found the practice receptionist to be helpful according to results for NHS Northumberland Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) in the 2019 GP Patient Survey.

Performing above the national average in all areas, other results show that eight out of 10 patients had enough support from local services or organisations to help them manage their condition while 83 per cent said it was easy to use the practice’s website.

Seven out of 10 said it was easy to get through to someone at their GP practice and had a good experience of making an appointment while 67 per cent were satisfied with appointment times available.

The positive results are published a week after NHS Northumberland CCG was rated ‘good’ by NHS England after reforms following three years in special measures.

The GP Patient Survey measures patients’ experiences across a range of topics, including local GP services, making an appointment and overall experience and in Northumberland took into account the views of almost 5,000 patients.

Dr Graham Syers, clinical director of primary care at NHS Northumberland CCG, said: “These results top off an excellent week for the CCG which is testament to the hard work and dedication of our staff and member practices.

“We pride ourselves in giving our patients the best possible experience and it is a huge boost to our practices across the county that a large proportion has rated their overall experience as good.

“Ensuring people have good access to services over the phone and online is also a key priority and we’re pleased that we’ve performed well in these areas.

“While these results, and our ‘good’ rating, are excellent news for our patients, we will not rest on our laurels and use these as springboard to further improve the care we provide to patients across Northumberland.”

The GP Patient Survey compiled responses from 770,512 people across the country.