Best and worst Oldham GP practices - as voted by patients

The NHS GP Patient Survey 2021 asked people a range of questions about their local surgery, covering everything from how easy it was to book an appointment and how helpful receptionists were, to the quality of care and how long-term illnesses were managed.

Search the full list below and see where your GP practice ranks

Across the Oldham Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) area, 18,294 questionnaires were sent out, and 4,943 were returned completed, giving a response rate of 27 per cent.

Patients gave their feedback between January and March and in general Oldham residents were less satisfied with their practice than the national average, with 77 per cent describing their experience overall as either ‘very good’ or ‘fairly good’ compared with 83 per cent across the UK.

This was a repeat of 2020 for the CCG area but there was a wider gap between the top and bottom performers.

Coming in lowest was Werneth Medical Practice with just 40 per cent of patients viewing their experience as good. This was a drop from the 61 per cent the GP surgery achieved last year.

Werneth Medical Practice

Top of the pack with an impressive 98 per cent approval was Chadderton Medical Practice. It was one of 12 GP surgeries in the borough out of 37 that were rated at or above the national average.

A key concern for many patients in Oldham was how easy it is to actually see their doctor and make an appointment.

The borough again performed worse than the national average, with 62 per cent of people in Oldham saying their overall experience was ‘very good’ or ‘fairly good’, compared with 71 per cent for the UK as a whole.

Worst by this measure was The Royton and Crompton Family Practice with only 32 per cent happy with their experience.

Chadderton Medical Practice

When it comes to getting through on the phone though it was Failsworth Group Practice bottom with just 13 per cent finding it easy. This compares with 96 per cent who had a positive experience getting through at Chadderton Medical Practice.

Receptionists in Oldham were also judged to be less helpful than their counterparts across the UK, with the borough average 84 per cent compared with 89 per cent nationally.

Other key findings included a third (33 per cent)of people in Oldham feeling there was not enough support from their GP practice with managing long-term conditions, disabilities, or illnesses.

This was slightly worse than the national average of 26 per cent.

A statement from Oldham CCG said: “NHS Oldham Clinical Commissioning Group welcomes the latest GP Patient Survey as an opportunity to further understand the views and experiences of local patients in accessing GP services.

“This year’s survey was undertaken almost entirely in lockdown, at a time when our GPs were racing to vaccinate their most vulnerable patients against Covid.

"Therefore we were not surprised to see an overall challenging picture, particularly in regards to supporting patients to manage their long-term conditions.

“However, we are heartened that the overall rating of practices has not declined from pre-pandemic levels despite all the challenges faced. We are particularly pleased to see that ratings of how quickly patients received care or advice are at a four year high.

“We wish to thank local patients for their patience and understanding during the last year and particularly thank those who have taken the time to share their views through the survey.

"We will be analysing the survey in detail over the coming days and weeks to identify where and how we can further support practices to improve the experience they offer their patients.”