GP shortage is 'main concern' for surgeries as patient satisfaction declines

In a recent survey to some 10,000 patients across Colchester and Tendring, 79 per cent of respondents rated their surgery as good or fairly good.

This is a decline from an 82 per cent rating last year, and falls below the national average of 84 per cent.

Colchester’s lowest rating went to Tiptree Medical Centre, with only 49 per cent of patients giving a good rating, and Abbey Field Medical Centre, which recorded a 61 per cent rating.

Neither surgery responded to requests for comment.

There were success stories to be found, however, with 99 per cent of responding patients reporting a good overall experience at Mill Road Surgery in Colchester.

The surgery was purpose-built in 2006 and now serves a growing list of 13,000 patients.

This list has a net rise of 500 patients per year, with a capacity of 16,000.

Andy Leonard has been the practice manager for ten years.

He said: “The picture here is very much the same as at other surgeries.

“Recruitment is becoming more difficult, harder as the weeks and months go by.

“I feel we have a good reputation in the area and we benefit from a continuity amongst our GPs.”

Pleased - staff at the highly-praised Mill Road Surgery

However, figures reveal a real frustration among patients over securing appointments.

Only a quarter of responding patients at Tiptree Medical Centre said it was easy to get through to someone via telephone, while 63 per cent were left unsatisfied with the available appointment times provided.

Diana Bates has been practice manager at Highwoods Surgery for 22 years.

Highwoods is an established, independent surgery, with six GPs and a team of long-serving non-clinical staff. The poll found 87 per cent of its responding patients rated the practice as good, compared with 91 per cent in last year’s survey.

Mrs Bates said: “We still like to think of ourselves as an old fashioned GP surgery.

“We want our patients talking to a receptionist every time no matter what.

“Difficulty with appointments is an issue for any surgery you ask, we still have did not attends and no matter what we do we will never get rid of that.”

She pointed to a shortfall in qualified GPs and an expensive reliance on locum GPs to cover shifts.

“Recruiting GPs is difficult at the moment, it is hard to find GPs to cover, the expense of locum GPs can be an issue and in summer holidays it is a struggle,” she said.

“GPs need holidays too and the workload is high.

“The walk-in centre is good for helping out where and when they can, but it is difficult.

“When A&E is very busy that sometimes comes back on us and raises demand.

“I feel sometimes patients perhaps don’t realise exactly how difficult it is for surgeries to operate.

“We do try and screen patients as best we can to see if help can be provided without an appointment - I understand some patients don’t want to talk to reception staff - but they really are there to help free up the system.

“We now have a nurse practitioner who is able to see patients and handle prescriptions.

“That does alleviate some pressure, but it has definitely become more difficult.

“Patients want more non-NHS work - we are paid for NHS hours and any work outside those hours is not always possible.

“NHS work has to come first.

Many surgeries across the North East Essex Clinical Commissioning Group have taken to merging together, forming super surgeries with lists totalling tens of thousands of patients.

Mrs Bates said while taking this step may help some practices survive, her surgery’s success stems from a long-standing determination to remain close to the patients.

“We are still a small independent surgery and we haven’t gone down that route at all,” she said.

“Our patients know us and they get to know us, they can come into the office and chat to me.

“People will get used to having the same doctor, if they are suddenly going to see a doctor on the other side of town that will surely have an effect.

“We have stayed on our own to the benefit of patients.”

Mill Road Surgery’s Mr Leonard added: “There is growth in our area, a lot of new housing.

“Within the next few years we will have to start to think about capacity, supply and demand.

“We will look at every option, but we really do value our independence.

“We want good, continuing care and a high standard of service.

“Practices are merging for many different reasons, it might be the right move for one and the wrong move for another.

“One size does not fit all, but I will never say never.”

Mersea Island Medical Practice is one of the few surgeries to record a rise in patient satisfaction, with 91 per cent of respondents giving a good rating.

While Zoey Jenkin, operations manager, praised her team, she confirmed the surgery is stretched.

“The practice operates in very challenging circumstances, whereby all of our clinical resources are utilised to full capacity,” she said.

“We are constantly striving for excellence and seeking new ways we can continue to meet demand.”

Patients unhappy with experience booking appointments

Nine GP surgeries across Colchester fall below the national average satisfaction level when it comes to patients’ experiences when booking appointments.

Abbey Field Medical Centre, Tiptree Medical Centre, Ambrose Avenue Group Practice, Layer Road Surgery, North Hill Medical Group, Tollgate Health Centre, Parsons Heath Medical Centre, North Colchester Healthcare Centre and Creffield Medical Centre all fell below the national benchmark.

An average of 69 per cent of GP patients across the country say their experience booking an appointment is good.

For Colchester’s worst offender, Abbey Field Medical Centre, only 33 per cent of patients are satisfied.

These figures are based on a survey of 3,837 patients at surgeries across Colchester and Tendring.

This year only 62 per cent of patients across North East Essex Clinical Commissioning Group rated their experience booking an appointment as good, compared with 72 per cent last year.

Following the release of the results, a spokesman for the CCG said: “We really value the data provided by the annual GP Patient Survey – it enables us to look closely at where our practices are doing well and where we could offer more support. 

“We’re not far off the national average for the majority of the indicators and we’re proud of the practices that are excelling in areas such as managing patients’ conditions and appointment choice. 

“It’s also great to see the number of practices considered very good has increased from last year.”