Leighton Road Surgery says national survey shows it is making big strides in patient satisfaction

The Leighton Road Surgery in Leighton Buzzard says a recent national survey demonstrates it is making giant strides in patient satisfaction.

Managed by the East London NHS Foundation Trust (ELFT), the surgery has thanked everyone who took the time to provide feedback for the GP Patient Survey (GPPS) published in July which has seen the practice improve in all areas of patient satisfaction.

The majority of patients who rated their overall experience of the GP practice as good has increased to 77 per cent, compared to 45 per cent last year.

The surgery points out that improvements were made across all areas included in the survey, with many above the national or local average.

Highlights include:

> 92 per cent of patients said the receptionists at their GP practice were helpful, compared to 79 per cent in 2020

> 64 per cent of patients said it was easy to get through to their GP practice on the phone, compared with 23 per cent in 2020

> 60 per cent were satisfied with the appointment times available to them, an increase of 35 per cent compared with 2020

> More than half of patients described their experience of making an appointment as good, doubling from 30 per cent in 2020 to 64 per cent in 2021

> 92% of patients were involved as much as they wanted to be in decisions about their care and treatment during their last general practice appointment, increasing by 11% since 2020

The GPPS assesses patients' experience of healthcare services provided by all GP practices, including experience of access, making appointments and the quality of care received from healthcare professionals.

The results also follow an improved Care Quality Commission (CQC) rating for the practice. The CQC recognised "significant improvements" made to the quality of care provided by Leighton Road Surgery following an inspection in November.

Dr Mohit Venkataram, ELFT’s Executive Director for Primary Care, praised colleagues and patients for a partnership approach that he said is driving positive change at the practice and thanked everyone who took the time to complete the survey.

He said: “This is another step in our ongoing journey as a practice towards developing a surgery that is a community hub for our Leighton Buzzard residents, meeting their needs and providing excellent care. Our residents will always be our priority and their feedback will be the yardstick we use to continually improve.”

Full Leighton Road Surgery results are available here.

The survey also shows that in Leighton Buzzard, 76% of Salisbury House Surgery patients described their overall experience of their GP practice as good, while for Dr Jl Henderson & Partners in Basset Road the figure was 84%. The Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes CCG average was 78%, with the national average being 83%. More details here