An independent survey shows eight out of ten respondents in Dorset rate their experience of their local GP practice positively.

When asked to describe the overall experience of their GP practice as part of the GP Patient Survey 2022, 80% responded good or very good – higher than the national average of 72%.

The annual survey is carried out by Ipsos Mori and published by NHS England.

More than 21,000 people from across Dorset were invited to share their views on everything from access to GPs, making appointments, the quality of care received from GPs and other health professionals, COVID-19, and satisfaction with opening hours and out-of-hours NHS services.

From the nearly 9,000 responses returned, practices in Dorset score highly in a number of areas:

  • 87% of respondents rated the help from the receptionists at their local practice very helpful or helpful – higher than the national average of 82%
  • 73% of respondents said it was easy or very easy to find information or access services on their practice website
  • 86% of respondents felt that the healthcare professional had recognised and/or understood any mental health needs that they might have had
  • 93% of respondents said that they were involved in decisions about their care or treatment
  • 94% of respondents agreed that their needs were met at their last appointment
  • 96% of respondents had confidence in the healthcare professional they saw or spoke to.

Dr Paul Johnson, Chief Medical Officer at NHS Dorset, said “When you consider the immense pressure and increasing demand that Primary Care continues to come under, we are delighted with the high number of positive responses to this survey; however, we recognise that in some areas – although we are doing better than the national average – the scores appear disappointing.

“Primary Care staff work extremely hard to help deliver the care that people need when they need it. These results reflect their commitment and dedication, and I would personally like to thank everyone who has worked tirelessly during the pandemic whilst at the same time, delivering high quality care.

“General practice has seen many changes including the introduction of new ways of consulting and additional roles to help increase access to the right support for patients and these positive responses show that this way of working is successful.

“We would like to thank the public for their continued support for general practice and their feedback which helps us to continue to improve our services here in Dorset.”

For more information visit https://gp-patient.co.uk/