GP Patient Survey 2020: North Yorkshire practices perform better than the national average on every indicator

Most patients in North Yorkshire rate their GP practice higher than in the rest of the country, according to new data released by NHS England.

The GP Patient Survey was completed by 6,367 people in the NHS North Yorkshire Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) area and in almost every indicator, practices, as a whole, performed above the national average.

Among the findings in the NHS North Yorkshire Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) area:

• 89 per cent of patients described their experience of their GP practice as “very good” or “fairly good”, compared to 82 per cent, nationally
• 70 per cent of patients said they were “very satisfied” or “fairly satisfied” with the available practice appointment times, in comparison to 63 per cent of people, nationally
• 81 per cent of patients said it was “easy” or “fairly easy” to get through to someone at their practice on the phone, compared to a national average of 65 per cent
• 94 per cent of respondents said the receptionist at their practice was “very helpful” or “fairly helpful” – the national average was 89 per cent
• 51 per cent of people said they knew they could book appointments online, compared to 48 per cent nationally; and 54 per cent of respondents in the North Yorkshire CCG area knew they could order repeat prescriptions online, compared to 44 per cent, nationally
• 84 per cent of patients said it was “very easy” or “fairly easy” to use their practice’s website, compared to a national average of 76 per cent
• Compared to a national average of 60 per cent, 68 per cent of patients in North Yorkshire said they were offered a choice of appointment when they last tried to make one
• 80 per cent of people who responded to the survey in North Yorkshire were satisfied with the type of appointment they were offered, compared to 73 per cent, nationally
• Three quarters of patients (75 per cent) said their experience of making an appointment was either “very good” or “fairly good” – the national average was 65 per cent
• When asked about how good the health professional was at their last appointment, just two per cent of respondents in North Yorkshire felt their experience was “very poor” compared to four per cent nationally
• An overwhelming majority of patients in the CCG area felt involved in decisions about care and treatment (96 per cent), had confidence and trust in the healthcare professional (97 per cent) and felt their needs were met (96 per cent) – all above the national average
• 87 per cent of patients felt their mental health needs were recognised and understood at their last practice appointment, compared to an average, nationally, of 85 per cent

Patients in North Yorkshire also expressed a high degree of satisfaction with the services available to them when their GP practice was closed – the survey data shows this was also above average – as well as support from other local services and organisations to help people manage a condition.

NHS North Yorkshire CCG Clinical Chair, Dr Charles Parker, said: “It’s pleasing to see that patients in North Yorkshire rate their GP practice so highly and validates the work that goes on every day, often behind the scenes, to make the patient experience as positive as it can be.

“Our goal should always be to strive for better and we will continue to work in partnership with our practices to deliver the highest standard of care for our patients.”