How GP Surgeries Are Rated Across England - Best & Worst rated

Average GP Practice Google Review Rating Per Town / City and How This Compares to CQC Ratings

Looking at localities, patient reports suggest there is particular room for improvement in Peterborough, where practices there have earned an average online review score of just 2.4 out of 5 – the lowest of all the 21 towns and cities analysed.

No GPs in Peterborough were rated ‘Inadequate’ by the CQC though and when last inspected, two practices (11%) were considered to require some improvement overall, while three (16%) had been awarded an ‘Outstanding’ rating.

Also at the bottom of the scores are Leicester and Hull (both 2.5 out of 5) as well as  Birmingham (2.59 out of 5). Birmingham also had the most individual GPs that were rated as ‘Inadequate’ overall by the Care Quality Commission  in addition to 6% being deemed to need some improvement. There are also four surgeries here which were featured in the ‘worst 20’ according to average Google Reviews figures.

Additionally, GPs in Leicester were featured six times on the list of the ‘worst 20’ according to patient reviews too and a further 8% were deemed either ‘Inadequate’ or ‘Requiring Improvement’ overall in official CQC reports.

One area which had a relatively low patient review score was Hulland. No GPs were reported to be offering a service below expected levels when they were last officially inspected. At the other end of the table are Exeter which were rated 3.52 out of 5 on Google Reviews, Cambridge at 3.36 out of 5 and Oxford with 3.29 out of 5.

In the last CQC inspections of surgeries in Exeter, 35% of those surgeries earned an overall ‘Outstanding’ level. This was the highest of all the areas analysed and was in line with patient reviews too. It also doesn’t have a single GP practice in the area with an overall CQC status below ‘Good’.

In Cambridge, while many patients seemed satisfied with their experiences overall, a relatively low 7% of the practices were deemed to be ‘Outstanding’ when they were last inspected, In Oxford this was 5%.

Patient experiences and official ratings were particularly at odds in Brighton, where the Google reviews score was an above average 3.2 out of 5 whereas the CQC had classed nearly one in ten (9%) surgeries as offering a service below its overall expected level.

Overall, the medical providers that appeared in both the highest-rated top twenty on Google and were awarded ‘Outstanding’ status in official reviews were:

• Astley General Practice and Ancoats Urban Village Medical Practice in Manchester
• Granta Medical Practice in Cambridge
• Woodbury Surgery in Exeter
• Stonegate Medical Practice in York.

While the providers that features in the lowest rated on Google and were deemed ‘Inadequate’ by the CQC at the time of inspection were:

• Stanley Medical Centre in Liverpool
• The Mayflower Medical Centre in Plymouth

Nationwide, surgeries were most likely to have been officially classified as ‘Inadequate’ in the overall safety and leadership/management criteria, while an ‘Outstanding’ rating was most likely to have been awarded to practices who evidenced high levels of responsiveness.

The details of reports published by the CQC can be found by clicking here. Similarly, click here to access the official GP Patient Survey 2023. The methodology and sources from our own study can be found at the bottom of this article.

When considering these findings, Ian Clifton, Medical Negligence Solicitor at Simpson Millar commented:

“GP surgeries are a vital front line of defence for people. We believe they should be adequately funded and support should be made available to implement changes as needed following CQC inspections. It is great to see many GP surgeries being rated well, despite the challenges of the last few years. Sadly, failings in care at GP surgeries can have a devastating impact on patients. Where failings are identified, lessons can be learned that could be shared across all surgeries to protect patients. Patients who suffer as a result of medical negligence often pursue a claim for compensation to pay for follow up treatment, loss of earnings and rehabilitation. However, many take legal action in a bid to ensure that changes are made.” 

If you have been affected by medical negligence, we understand the thought of taking legal action can feel daunting. We’ll work hard to get you the compensation you deserve, but we know your claim may not just be about the money.

Additionally, if you feel that you may have a claim for medical negligence, you can contact our friendly team of expert Medical Negligence Solicitors by calling us today on 0808 239 6043. You can alternatively request a call back from one of our friendly team members.

Sources

List of GPs and practices - https://digital.nhs.uk/services/organisation-data-service/export-data-files/csv-downloads/gp-and-gp-practice-related-data 

Google review data - https://www.google.com/maps

To find each GPs CQC rating - https://www.cqc.org.uk/care-services/find-family-doctor-or-gp

Information on inspection processes - https://www.cqc.org.uk/guidance-providers/independent-healthcare/when-we-will-inspect-independent-healthcare-services

Categorisation information - https://www.cqc.org.uk/guidance-providers/how-we-inspect-regulate/how-we-prioritise-risk-0

Methodology

1.     We downloaded a list of the latest list of active GP surgeries in England

2.     We filtered these by city

3.     We selected a list of 21 mayor towns and cities, considering their population size and geographical distribution across England - we did not include London

4.     We looked up each GP surgery name in Google Maps, and noted down the number of times it has been reviewed, and the average review rating

5.     We then looked up each GP surgery name in the CQC database and noted down details about its inspection and review ratings

6.     We then worked out the average review rating and CQC ‘standard’ per city or town

7.     We also looked at how recently GP surgeries have been inspected. We refer to 'since the start of Covid-19' which means before 23rd March 2022

8.     When preparing the ‘best 20’ and ‘worst 20’ lists, we discounted any GP practices with fewer than ten online reviews

9.     In some towns / cities, there were not matching listings on Google and the CQC database (in terms of the practice name or address) and so only the available data was included and counted