Northumbria Primary Care GP practice score highs in annual patient survey

Patients of a primary care organisation which provides care in Northumberland and North Tyne side have rated the care they receive as among the best in the region and country.

The Rothbury Practice has topped the Northumberland leaderboard, making it one of the highest rated in the country by patients according to the 2024 GP Patient Survey.

The GP Patient Survey is the largest annual survey of patients’ experiences with general practice in England. The survey, which gathered responses from more than 750,000 patients nationwide, provides insight into patient satisfaction with their GP practice.

In Northumberland, 98% of patients at The Rothbury Practice described their experience with the practice as ‘good’, the highest score in Northumberland. The national average for this question is 74% with the regional average coming in at 77%.

This is an improvement from last year, with the practice receiving a score of 93.5% in 2023. Northumbria Primary Care’s Haydon Bridge & Allendale Medical Practice, Elsdon Avenue Surgery, Cramlington Medical Group and Northumberland Health also performed well, ranking above the national average.

Northumbria Primary Care’s North Tyneside practices also received commendable results, with three practices ranking in the top 10 for patients describing their overall experience with the practice as ‘good’. Park Parade Surgery, Spring Terrace Health Centre, and 49 Marine Avenue Surgery received positive ratings from 90%, 89%, and 88% of their patients, respectively. These scores also surpass the national and regional averages.

Reflecting on the results for Northumbria Primary Care, managing director David Hedgcock said: “We’re incredibly proud of some of the results in this year’s GP Patient Survey. To be the highest-rated GP practice in Northumberland is an incredible achievement for our team; one they thoroughly deserve. We’re also very pleased with our performance in North Tyneside and the improvements that we have made there.

“We look forward to the results of the GP Patient Survey every year. They provide valuable feedback that we use to improve our patients’ experience. This survey provides us with opportunities to celebrate, but it also highlights areas of concern that some patients have and helps us address the areas needing improvement. In the coming weeks we will launch our clinical strategy, which will serve as a roadmap to guide our efforts in addressing the highlighted areas and improving the quality of care we provide to our patients, as well as our staff experience.”

Jack Lamb, GP at The Rothbury Practice, said: “We’re absolutely over the moon to have 98% of our patients describe our practice as ‘good’ in the GP Patient Survey. It’s great to get such positive feedback from our patients and it feels good to be topping the table in Northumberland. The GP Patient Survey is a useful opportunity for us to get a temperature check of how patients are feeling. While we’ve had a great result from it, it’s also important that we look at areas where we can improve and understand how we can provide even better care for the people who matter most; our patients.”