RESULTS of this year’s GP Patient Survey are in and reveal Bolton’s “best and worst” family doctors.

Saiqa Chaudhari reports.

THE GP Patient Survey 2019, carried out on behalf of NHS England, asked residents for their views on their doctors’ surgeries across a range of different areas to find out they feel about their family doctor.

A total of 5,131 people filled in the questionnaire to give a picture of primary care services in Bolton.

Overall 84 per cent of patients described their GP Practice as good ­— down by one per cent in 2019 ­— which is higher than the national average of 82.9 per cent.

READ MORE: SPECIAL REPORT: More than one in five patients wait a week for a GP appointment

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All 49 surgeries were ranked on a number of measures including appointment waiting times, getting through on the phone and how doctors treat patients.

The Bolton News:

Patients were asked to rate their GP by overall experience — and Dalefield Surgery in Avondale Street, Bolton received a near perfect score of 99 per cent of patients rating their experience at the surgery as good.

Amy Mason Dalefield Surgery’s project manager said: “There are so many challenges within primary care at the moment, it is very nice to be appreciated. All of the staff here at Dalefield Surgery are over the moon with this result. We are always working on way to improve and give our patients the best care that we can.”

Bottom of the table is Great Lever Health, where just 59 per cent of patients who filled in a questionnaire rated their experience as overall good.

A breakdown of results show that for meeting patients needs, Tonge Fold Health Centre had the best result scoring a perfect 100 per cent.

The Bolton News:

Dr John Scott, a partner at Tonge Fold Health Centre said: “We were very pleased with the results of the survey. It was nice to be rated comparably to our excellent GP peers, but the most important thing was that our patients feel we are doing a good job.

“It’s no secret that primary care is operating in difficult circumstances nationwide; it certainly makes our job easier to know that our patients trust us and think we’re doing a good job. It’s also very gratifying to see that both our administrative and reception teams’ hard work is meeting our patients’ needs.”

He added: “High quality service is as important to us now, as it was when Dr K Lowe was a GP here at the birth of the NHS.

“Our dedicated team of GPs, Practice nurses, HCA’s, Practice Manager, reception, secretaries and custodians believe in putting our patient at the centre of everything we do.

“We have very little staff turnover, but we’re very fortunate that our new team members, such as our musculoskeletal practitioner, mental health practitioner, pharmacist and new GP partner Dr E Saunders share these values.

“I’m not sure why we have scored so well on the survey, as our GP colleagues across Bolton work very hard and deliver a great service too.

“Perhaps the reason we have been rated so highly by our community, is because of the work they do with us. Our best work tends to occur in partnership with our patients, such as the patient participation group history project, the Bolton Camera Club photography exhibition and women’s art group in partnership with the “Big Local Project”­— which was an outstanding feature in our recent CQC report.”

The survey also showed that patients at Halliwell Surgery 3 in Lindfield Drive, Halliwell, had the best experience with “out of hours” service with 94 per cent rating it as good.

And 100 per cent of patients who filled in the survey said they had confidence and trust in the healthcare professionals at Dalefield Surgery, Dr Malhotra and Partners, Wyresdale Road Surgery, Pikes Lane 2 ,Tonge Fold Health Centre and Kirby-Crompton Health.

Making an appointment at Mandalay Medical Centre was not a problem for 94 per cent of patients who rated the service as good placing it number one in that category.

The Bolton News:

HOW WELL DID YOUR GP PRACTICE DO:

GP Practices ranked in order of providing an overall good patient experience:

1: Dalefield Surgery- 99 per cent

2: Mandalay Medical - 97 per cent

3: Pikes Lane 2 - 96 per cent

4: Fig Tree Medical - 95 per cent

5: Heaton Medical Centre- 94 per cent

The Dunstan - 94 per cent

Tonge Fold Health - 94 per cent

Kirby-Crompton Health - 94 per cent

6: Burnside Surgery - 93 per cent

Kearsley Medical Centre - 93 per cent

Egerton/Dunscar Health Centre - 93 per cent

7: Bradford Street- 92 per cent

8 Halliwell Surgery 1 - 91 per cent

9:Spring House Surgery- 90 per cent

Farnworth Family - 90 per cent

Olive Family Practice -90 per cent

10: Spring View Medical - 89 per cent

Cornerstone Surgery - 89 per cent

Lever Chambers 1- 89 per cent

11:Edgworth Medical Centre - 88 per cent

Wyresdale Road - 88 per cent

12: Crompton View Surgery- 87 per cent

Halliwell Surgery 3 - 87 per cent

13: Little Lever Health Centre 2 - 86 per cent

Pikes Lane1 - 86 per cent

The Alastair Ross Medical Practice- 86 per cent

14: Dr Malhotra and Partners -85 per cent

15: Halliwell Surgery 2 -84 per cent

Orient House Medical - 84 per cent

16: Kildonan House - 82 per cent

3D Medical Centre - 82 per cent

Bolton Community - 82 per cent

17: Deane Medical Centre - 81 per cent

18: Stonehill Medical - 80 per cent

St Helens Road Practice - 80 per cent

Unsworth Group - 80 per cent

Al Fal Medical Group - 80 per cent

19: Charlotte Street -79 per cent

20: Bolton General - 76 per cent

21: Little Lever Health Centre 1 -75 per cent

22:Beehive Surgery - 74 per cent

Lever Chambers 2 -74 per cent

23: Swan Lane Medical- 71 per cent

Stable Fold Surgery -71 per cent

24: Bolton Medical Centre - 70 per cent

25: Harwood Medical - 68 per cent

26: Deane Clinic 1 - 63 per cent

27: Shanti Medical Centre - 61 per cent

28: Great Lever Health -59 per cent