A VILLAGE surgery has been ranked as the best GP surgery in north Essex, according to new patient survey data.

All of the GPs overseen by the North East Essex Clinical Commissioning Group have been ranked in the 2020 NHS patient survey.

The survey data is collated by asking patients their views on their experiences at the surgeries.

Which are the best rated surgeries in the area?

Great Bentley Surgery rated best for overall experience of patients in the 2020 NHS patient survey.

Of those who responded, 98 per cent registered at Great Bentley Surgery said their experience was good.

Stephen Osbourne, operations director, said: “It is very good news for us.

“We do try and provide the best service possible to our patients and it is nice to hear good feedback from them.

“It has been difficult to keep services running at the moment for obvious reasons but we have tried to stay open as much as possible for people.”

Mill Road Surgery was the highest rated GP surgery in Colchester, with 92 per cent of respondents saying the service was good.

Rowhedge Surgery was rated good by 86 per cent of patients, Colchester Medical Practice by 83 per cent of patients - the same percentage as Wivenhoe Surgery.

East Hill Surgery had a score of 82 per cent and Bluebell Surgery, in Highwoods, 81 per cent.

What is the average?

The average score across the surgeries in the North East Essex Clinical Commissioning Group was 77 per cent.

This is below the national average, where 82 per cent of respondents to the survey ranked the overall experience at their surgery as good.

What about the worst in north Essex?

At the other end of the scale, Tollgate Health Centre was bottom of the list for overall experience.

Out of those who answered the survey, only 50 per cent said their experience at the surgery was good.

We tried to contact the surgery but could not get through.

Clacton Community Practice was second from bottom with 55 per cent, with Abbey Field Medical Practice in Colchester third last, with a score of 58 per cent.

Patients were also asked other questions

Surgeries were also ranked on things like the ease of getting through on the phone.

Lawford Surgery was ranked first, with 98 per cent of patients saying it was easy to get through, whereas at the other end of the scale only 15 per cent said the same about Clacton Community Practices.

What has the CCG said about the stats: 

A spokesman for NHS North East Essex Clinical Commissioning Group, said: “There’s a lot of good work happening to improve primary care services locally, including a new £1.5 million investment which will see the creation of state-of-art GP practice facilities at Kennedy House in Clacton by the end of the year.

"We’re also currently seeking people’s views on how we can enhance GP services for patients across Tendring, with the aim of boosting the level of care on offer.

“While these survey results are certainly disappointing, we are confident that the work we are doing will see an improvement in satisfaction with services in the future.

“We’d also like to acknowledge the hard work and dedication of staff in our GP practices.”

The full rankings by patient experience:

  • Great Bentley Surgery - 98%
  • The Riverside Health Centre - 97%
  • Lawford Surgery - 95%
  • Colne Medical Centre - 95%
  • Harewood Surgery - 93%
  • St James’ Surgery - 93%
  • Mill Road Surgery - 92%
  • The Ardleigh Surgery - 92%
  • Walton Medical Centre - 88%
  • Rowhedge Surgery - 86%
  • Colchester Medical Practice - 83%
  • Wivenhoe Surgery - 83%
  • East Hill Surgery - 82%
  • Bluebell Surgery - 81%
  • Creffield Medical Group - 81%
  • Fronks Road Family Surgery - 80%
  • Thorpe Surgery - 79%
  • Ranworth Surgery - 79%
  • West Mersea Surgery - 79%
  • Old Road Surgery - 78%
  • Highwoods Surgery - 77%
  • Winstree Medical Practice - 76%
  • Ambrose Avenue Group Practice - 74%
  • Carados Surgery - 70%
  • North Clacton Medical Centre - 67%
  • Tiptree Medical Centre - 66%
  • Turner Road Surgery - 65%
  • East Lynne Medical Centre - 62%
  • Mayflower Medical Centre - 60%
  • Abbey Field Medical Centre - 58%
  • Clacton Community Practices - 55%
  • Tollgate Health Centre 50%

For more information, or to see the results yourself, visit www.gp-patient.co.uk/surveysandreports.