Shropshire Star

Survey finds county GPs perform well

Shropshire patients have some of the best care and support in the country from their GP Service, according to figures published in a national NHS survey.

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NHS Shropshire Clinical Commissioning Group has received the latest results from the GP Patient Survey which shows that 88 per cent of patients who responded had a good experience at their practice compared to the national average of 83 per cent.

Across Shropshire, a total of 5,080 people completed the survey with a response rate of 48 per cent, well above the national response rate of just 33 per cent. The survey measures patients’ experience and, in particular, looks at a range of topics including making an appointment, feedback on appointments as well as a patient’s overall experience at their local GP practice.

Over half of respondents found it easy to get through to their practice and the CCG scored 81 per cent compared to the national figure of just 68 per cent. Receptionists also scored 92 per cent for their helpfulness against the national score of 89 per cent.

More than half of respondents to the survey said they were given a choice of time or day for their appointment and, with a score of 65 per cent, this is again above the national average of 62 per cent.

From their last appointment, those patients that took part in the survey scored the CCG’s practices good, with the majority scoring very good, for the time GPs took with the appointment and how they listened to patients and that they were treated with care and concern.

From those patients who took part in the survey, 67 per cent gave the highest rating for being involved about decisions on their care and 76 per cent also gave the maximum rating about the confidence and trust they had in their healthcare professional.

Mental health awareness was also found to be high in Shropshire practices where 90 per cent of the survey respondents said healthcare professionals recognised and understood any mental health needs. This performance is above the national average, which was 86 per cent.

Dr Julian Povey, Chair of Shropshire Clinical Commissioning Group, said: “These figures show that Shropshire patients have access to some of the best GP practices in the country with scores well above the national average across the board from making appointments through to the way appointments are handled.

“It validates the hard work of our practices, and their dedicated staff, and it is good to see that despite the challenges we face in primary care services with an ageing population, coupled with a national shortage of GPs, our GP Practices are offering an excellent service.”