Surgeries ‘among the worst in the country’

A survey of 4,240 patients across 38 surgeries in the region, including those around Harwich and Manningtree, found 79 per cent rated their surgery as fairly good or good.

But this stacks up poorly as the national average shows 84 per cent of patients found their practice to be good.

Around the Harwich and Manningtree area patients responding to the survey had problems with appointment times, support to manage their conditions and issues with getting through to a staff member over the phone.

The national average for patients saying their experience of their GP practice as good is 80 per cent.

But in Dovercourt 60 per cent of patients at Fronks Road Surgery and 70 per cent of patients from Mayflower Medical Centre said it was good.

And 40 per cent of patients at Mayflower Medical Centre (pictured) said it was easy getting though to someone over the phone - which is 30 per cent under the national average.

A total of 75 per cent of Fronks Road Surgery respondents said the surgery’s website was not easy to use and 60 per cent of patients said they have enough support to manage their conditions.

Half of Mayflower Medical Centre patients said they were satisfied with the appointment times available.

Around 10,000 questionnaires were sent out to patients across the region, meaning the survey had a 42 per cent response rate.

The result means the North East Essex Clinical Commissioning Group falls significantly below the average approval ratings and some way off its previous 86 per cent average, achieved five years ago.

However some village surgeries in the area had a more positive response from the survey.

Lawford Surgery, Ardleigh Surgery and Harewood Surgery, in Great Oakley, all came out above national average for their experience of the GP practice being good.

Professor Helen Stokes-Lampard, chair of the Royal College of GPs, highlighted the grim picture for general practice across the country.

“GPs and our teams are performing well, in the best interests of patients, in incredibly difficult circumstances,” she said.

“Our workload has escalated in recent years, both in volume and complexity, but the share of the NHS budget our service receives is less than it was a decade ago, and GP numbers are falling.

“But patients are waiting too long for a GP appointment and too many are not getting an appointment when they want one.

“As well as being frustrating for patients and GPs, this means patients might not be getting the treatment they need in the early stages of their condition.

“The plain truth is that existing GPs and our teams are working to absolute capacity and we just don’t have enough GPs to offer enough appointments.”