Health bosses admit 'more needs to be done' to improve how satisfied patients are with GP practices in Bradford

The GP Patient Survey (GPPS), run by NHS England, assesses patients’ experience of healthcare services provided by GP surgeries, including access to GPs, making appointments, the quality of care received, opening hours and out-of-hours NHS services.

In the most recent survey, with data collected from January to September last year, the national average for patients describing their 'overall experience' of their GP as 'very good' or 'fairly good' was 85 per cent.

For the NHS Bradford City CCG area, which covers the city centre, the figure was just 70 per cent, the lowest figure anywhere across Yorkshire and the Humber by 11 per cent.

THE STANDARD OF GP SURGERIES SHOULD BE THE SAME FOR ALL

Of the 27 surgeries within the CCG, only two achieved a rating above the national average.

The figure for the 41 surgeries within the NHS Bradford Districts CCG, which covers areas including Bingley, Shipley, Saltaire, Heaton and Tong, was 81 per cent, the second lowest figure across the region.

In the 17 surgeries within the Airedale, Wharfedale, and Craven (AWC) CCG area, the average satisfaction rate equalled the national average at 85 per cent.

One Bradford MP said she would be seeking an "urgent meeting" with CCGs to discuss the findings, with the chairman of Bradford Council's Health Scrutiny Committee describing the results as "very disappointing."

Nearly 29,000 copies of the survey were distributed to patients across the three CCGs, but response rate varied from just 17 per cent in the City CCG - said to be the lowest rate anywhere in the country - to 34 per cent in Districts, and 42 per cent in AWC.

A spokesman for the City and Districts CCGs said work was underway to support GP surgeries in improving patient satisfaction levels, including customer care training for staff and surgeries being encouraged to share examples of good practice.

Councillor Vanda Greenwood, chairman of Bradford Council's Health & Social Care Overview & Scrutiny Committee, joins staff from Windhill Green Medical Centre

"We want a patient’s experience with their GP to be as positive as possible," said the spokesman.

"During the period of this survey we funded customer care training for GP receptionists to help improve patients’ experience of accessing care at their local surgery.

"We responded to patients’ concerns by looking at ways to improve access to local GP services, and to help staff make each patient feel valued and at ease.

"A lot of work is underway across Bradford to support practices to improve patients’ access, and there is a real willingness to share good practice and listen to patients and GPs about the concerns and challenges experienced in general practice.

"We are aware that more work needs to be done in some areas, and we’re continually working with practices and patients to improve the services available to all local people.

"Although the response rate for City CCG was below the national average, we did see a two per cent increase this year, but we do need to consider ways to encourage more people to respond."

A spokesperson for the AWC CCG said its higher patient satisfaction ratings were a "testament to the hard work of GPs and their staff."

"We believe local primary care services are of a high quality, which the GP patient survey results confirm," said the spokesman.

"Our GP practices are encouraged to share what works well with us so we can continue to support improvements.

"The development of new models of care, which place patients at the centre of their care, will also continue to improve patients’ experience."

Naz Shah, Labour MP for Bradford West, said she had spoken to the City CCG about the figures and had requested an urgent meeting to discuss the survey.

"Bradford City CCG has the worst response rate nationally, although there has been a two per cent increase on last year," she said.

"While I accept the low response rate, it is not acceptable where we're at.

"There is a downward trend in patient satisfaction levels nationally, and it is clear that our GP practices are firefighting.

"It is a major concern, and indicative of where the NHS and primary care services are heading. It is another nail in the coffin.

"I will be asking questions on both the local and national figures when I return to Westminster."

MORE TOP STORIES

The Bradford CCGs were among the first set of CCGs approved by NHS England to take on responsibility for commissioning the majority of GP services from April last year.

CCG leaders are due to implement the NHS England's equitable funding review, designed to ensure all GP practices are paid "equitably and transparently" to end variations between the levels of funding different practices currently receive.

GP surgeries within the Bradford City and Districts CCGs will receive around £40million for this financial year.

Councillor Vanda Greenwood, chairman of the Health & Social Care Overview & Scrutiny Committee, lamented the current figures and suggested there may be a link equating higher funding to improved patient satisfaction.

"It is very disappointing that Bradford has not come out well in this survey, although the average does indicate that where some practices are not doing as well, we do have some who are providing a great service and the satisfaction response is very high," she said.

"It is interesting to note that some of the higher ranking surgeries are the better funded ones, although not in every case, and it will be interesting to see what happens when the funding formula changes.

"There is also an issue with access, as we simply cannot get GPs, but that is a problem not just in Bradford, but all over the country.

"That has a knock-on effect in terms of being able to get appointments, which definitely leads to negativity from patients.

"There are also different types and levels of services provided across the district, Windhill Green Medical Centre for instance provides a full range of services which could be one of the reasons why they have had such a good response from patients.

"I am aware that the CCG’s are working extremely hard to make every surgery good for patients, and the surgeries themselves will be working together to share good practice."

The highest rated surgery within the City CCG was Farrow Medical Centre on Otley Road, with 99 per cent of patients describing their experience as 'very good' or 'fairly good'.

Fiona Reid, practice manager at the centre, said the surgery had come top of the overall ratings for the second time in a row.

"We are really pleased, and it highlights the team effort behind the services we provide," she said.

"The surgery is one of the last of its kind in that its a family-based practice, some of our doctors have been here 20 years, and some of our patients for 60.

"All GP surgeries are under pressure, but our entire ethos is to promote patient care first and foremost, and that is reflected in the results of the survey."

Elaine Bates, practice manager at Windhill Green Medical Centre, the highest rated surgery within the Districts CCG with a patient satisfaction rating of 96 per cent, said: "We are obviously very proud to finish top of the ratings.

"We have a very active patient participation group and do as much as we can to engage with them.

"We also make our appointment system as flexible as possible.

"All our receptionists have been put through NVQ's in customer care, which was extra to the training provided by the CCG's.

"But, the result is down to the work of everyone at the practice."

Westcliffe Medical Centre in Shipley, and Dr Driver and Partners at the Baildon Medical Practice also got patient satisfaction ratings of 96 per cent.

In the AWC CCG area, Oakworth Medical Practice received the highest rating with 97 per cent of patients praising its services.

Dr Allan Green said: "We work very hard and we are delighted that our patients value us, it does mean a lot.

"We are different to a lot of places as there is only two of us, but we know our patients well and have that personal responsibility.

"There is a lot of pressure in general practice at the moment, but it's great to get positive feedback from the people who really matter."

The lowest rated surgery in the City CCG area was Dr Basu, based at the Whetley Medical Centre, with just 48 per cent of patients ranking their experience as 'fairly good' or 'very good'.

Staff from the Farrow Medical Centre on Otley Road, which received the highest patient satisfaction rating within the Bradford City CCG

Practice manager Swapna Basu said most of the surgery's patients were from the Bangladeshi community and struggled to complete the survey.

"If more of them filled it in, the rating would be higher," she said.

"We organise Patient Participation Group meetings, and people don't turn up.

"Most patients don't bother to complete the survey, which is very frustrating for us."

The lowest-rated surgery in the Districts CCG area was the Ridge Medical Practice, which has surgeries in Manningham, Great Horton, Wibsey, and Buttershaw, with 52 per cent of patients ranking the services as 'fairly good' or 'very good.'

The surgery with the lowest ranking in the AWC CCG was One Medicare@North Street in Keighley, with a patient satisfaction rate of just 40 per cent.

Neither of the two surgeries responded to a request for a comment from the Telegraph & Argus.

How your surgery ranked based on percentage of patients rating their ‘overall experience’ as fairly good or very good

Bradford District CCG 

Windhill Green Medical Centre - 96%
Dr N Driver & Partners - 96%
Westcliffe Medical Centre - 96%
Dr WSG Passant’s Practice - 92%
Cowgill Surgery - 93%
Oak Glen Surgery - 93%
The Rockwell and Wrose Practice - 92%
Horton Park Medical practice - 92%
The Springfield Surgery (Bingley) - 91%
Saltaire Medical Practice  - 90%
Low Moor Surgery - 89%
Rooley Lane Medical Centre - 87%
Tong Medical Practice - 88%
Moorside Surgery - 87%
Idle Medical Centre - 86% 
Dr NSE Hayward & Partners - 86% 
The Wilsden Medical Practice - 87%
The Willows Medical CTR - 86% 
Bingley Medical Practice - 86%
Wibsey & Queensbury Medical Practice - 84%
Ashcroft Surgery - 83%
The Grange Practice - 83%
Mayfield Medical Centre - 82%
Leylands Lane Medical Practice - 83%
Bradford Moor Practice  - 82%
Eccleshill Village Surgery - 81%
Bowling Hall Medical Practice -  80%
Woodroyd Centre - 79%
Thornton & Denholme Medical Practice - 77%
Carlton Medical Practice - 76%
Phoenix Medical Practice - 75%
Woodroyd Centre – Longfield -74%
Parklands Medical Practice - 72%
Horton Bank Practice - 70%
Dr Hutchings & Partners - 69%
Ashwell Medical Centre - 65%
Sunnybank Medical Centre - 62%
One Medicare@Woodhead Road - 61% *
The Heaton Medical Practice - 54% *
Thornbury Medical Practice - 54%
The Ridge Medical Practice - 52%
 

Bradford City CCG

Farrow Medical Centre - 99%
Peel Park Surgery  - 90%
Bevan Healthcare CIC - 80%
Frizinghall Medical Centre - 80%
Picton Medical Centre - 79%
Whetley Medical Centre - 78% *
Dr U Akbar (Whetley Medical Centre) - 76% *
Dr Ma Iqbal & Partners (Kensington Street HTH) - 75%
Primrose Surgery - 74%
Moor Park Medical Practice - 73% *
The Lister Surgery - 73%
Little Horton Lane Medical Centre-Mall - 73%
Alice Street Surgery - 72%
Bradford Student Health Service - 72%
Kensington St HC – Wilson - 71%
Bilton Medical Centre  - 70%
Park Grange Medical Centre - 67% *
Mughal Medical Centre - 66%
Barkerend HC – EL ELIWI - 65% *
Dr Gilkar (Little Horton Lane Medical  CT) - 61%
Valley View Surgery - 61%
Dr A Azam & Partners - 61% *
LCD Bradford - 60% *
The Avicenna Medical Practice - 59%
Grange Medical Centre - 58%
LCD Bradford At Manningham Medical Centre - 50% *
Dr Basu (Whetley Medical Centre) -48% *

Airedale, Wharfedale & Craven CCG

Oakworth Medical Practice - 97%
Ilkley Moor Medical Practice - 96%
Grassington Medical Centre - 95%
Addingham Surgery - 93%
Farfield Group Practice - 93%
Ilkley & Wharfedale Medical Practice - 93%
Haworth Medical Practice - 92%
Fisher Medical Centre - 90%
Townhead Surgery - 90%
Grange Park Surgery - 89%
Dyneley House Surgery - 88%
Ling House Medical Centre - 86%
Kilmeny Surgery - 83%
Silsden & Steeton Medical Practice - 82%
Holycroft Surgery - 67%
One Medicare @ North Street - 40% *

* = Data may be approximate or rounded up/down