THE best and worst GP surgeries in Redditch, as voted by patients, have been revealed.

The annual GP Patient Survey asks residents about their opinion of practices, measuring their experiences on a range of topics including overall satisfaction, the ease of making appointments, waiting times, the quality of care given, practice opening times and out-of-hours services.

Results were published this month, with more than 2,500 residents in Redditch and Bromsgrove completing the survey – a response rate of 45 per cent.

Hillview Medical Centre and Ridgeway Surgery in Astwood Bank received the highest satisfaction rating in Redditch, with 93 per cent of patients believing the practices to be ‘good’ or better.

The lowest ranked was Maple View Medical Practice in Church Hill, with a satisfaction score of 69 per cent, placing it below the national average (85 per cent), alongside Woodrow Medical Centre, Winyates Health Centre, Crabbs Cross Medical Centre and Surgery, St Stephens Surgery, The Dow Surgery and Elgar House.

Redditch fell short of the national average satisfaction score by three per cent, while Bromsgrove achieved six per cent higher.

Hillview topped the board again for ease of getting through to the surgery via phone at 88 per cent, followed by Crabbs Cross Surgery at 82.

The Dow Surgery, Maple View, Elgar House and Winyates Health Centre all fell short of the national average of 68 per cent.

Receptionists at Crabbs Cross Medical Centre were voted most ‘helpful’ in the district, followed by Crabbs Cross Surgery and Ridgeway.

In this category, The Dow, Maple View, Woodrow, The Bridge Surgery and Winyates Health Centre fell short of the 87 per cent national average.

24 per cent of patients at St Stephens Surgery said they were unable to get an appointment last time they tried or ‘couldn’t remember’, while 23 per cent said the same for Maple View.

Ridgeway Surgery was top of the chart for this question, followed by Hillvie and Crabbs Cross Medical Centre.

Asked how convenient their last GP appointment was, Redditch patients rated Hillbiew best in the borough, followed by Ridgeway.

At Maple View, 38 per cent said their appointment was either inconvenient or they couldn’t get one at all.

When offered an inconvenient time, 38 per cent borough-wide attended anyway, 13 per cent didn’t see anyone and one per cent resorted to visiting an A&E department.

More than a third of patients complained they normally had to wait too long for an appointment, suggesting a greater problem in Redditch than nationwide.

Across Redditch, 93 per cent of participants said they had trust and confidence in their GP, while 100 per cent of patients from Elgar House, Winyates Health, The Dow, Hillview, The Bridge and Crabbs Cross Surgery said they had trust and confidence in their nurse.

71 per cent were ‘satisfied’ with their GP surgery’s opening hours.

More patients than last year across the two districts said it had taken too long to receive care or advice.

A spokesman for Bromsgrove and Redditch’s Clinical Commissioning Group said: “These results show that a vast majority of patients across Redditch and Bromsgrove rate their experience with their GP surgery as good or very good.

“We want a patient’s experience with their GP practice to be as positive as possible. It’s important that patients can access the right service at the right time for them, with the confidence that they’re getting the best help and advice available.

“We are aware that more work needs to be done in some areas and we’re continually working with practices to improve the services that are available to all residents in Redditch and Bromsgrove.”