Oldham's best and worst GP practices - as voted by patients

NHS England's Patient Survey 2024 has been released this week which asks patients to rate their local practice on everything from how easy it is to get through on the phone, how quickly they could get an appointment and the helpfulness of receptionists to the level of care received by their GP and if they felt listened to.

Across the Greater Manchester Integrated Care Partnership, 18,472 surveys were sent out to Oldham patients, of which 3,825 were returned and completed.

Get the latest news delivered straight to your inbox by signing up to The Oldham Times’ morning and evening newsletters as well as our breaking news alerts 

This put the overall response rate this year at an average of 31 per cent - a slight decrease from last year's 32 per cent.

Patients gave their feedback between January 2 and March 25 this year, rating their practice as "very good", "fairly good", "neither good nor poor", "fairly poor" and "very poor".

Overall scores varied dramatically from practice to practice, and there are some surprising results in this year's data set with a new top three performers while the worst have scored low for a few years in a row.

The lowest-rated surgeries in Oldham

The worst rated GP practices in Oldham (Image: Google Maps)

1. Werneth Medical Practice

Coming in at the lowest for 2024 is Werneth Medical Practice which received an overall 'good' rating of just 43 per cent.

While this shows some improvement from last year's mere 34 per cent score, it places the Featherstall Road South surgery, which sits within Werneth Primary Care Centre as the worst in the borough - and for two years on the bounce. 

In 2021, it also topped the "worst" spot.

Commenting on the new grade, a spokesperson for the practice said: "We are pleased the improvements put in place are feeding through into the patient survey.

"We have increased appointment numbers, types, staffing, implemented a new telephone system, received a ‘Good’ rating from the CQC and came third out of all Oldham practices in the local quality scheme, all in the past year. 

"Our national survey has historically had a very low sample size, while our much larger internal survey shows satisfaction at 67 per cent which follows the national trend. 

"We will endeavour to strive for further improvement."

2. Alexandra Group Medical Practice

Alexandra Group Medical Practice then came in second place with an overall approval rating of just 48 per cent.

The surgery, which sits within Glodwick Primary Care Centre on Glodwick Road, also came second on the worst list last year at 39 per cent. 

This downward trend is shocking for the surgery as it was historically rated well by patients in 2022 and 2021, scoring 52 per cent and 74 per cent respectively. 

3. The Duru Practice

However, another interesting result reveals The Duru Practice, based in the Integrated Care Centre on New Radcliffe Street, had plummeted dramatically in standards.

It had scored highly in 2022 and 2023 with both ratings exceeding the 60 per cent mark amongst patients, but this year had an approval rating of just 48 per cent.

The Duru Practice closed in March this year after it was rated 'inadequate' and placed in "special measures" by the Care Quality Commission.

4. The Royton and Crompton Family Practice

The Royton and Crompton Family Practice, which has hit headlines following complaints from patients, came only narrowly behind with just a 49 per cent 'good' score.

However, the surgery in Royton Health and Wellbeing Centre is showing some signs of improvement since last year's 44 per cent score.

The best-rated surgeries in Oldham

The top four GP surgeries in Oldham (Image: Google Maps)

1. CH Medical Practice

At the other end of the spectrum and crowned the best GP surgery in the borough this year is CH Medical Practice, having knocked Leesbrook Surgery clear off the top spot.

The results suggest the Chadderon surgery on Fields New Road is continuing to improve and impress its patients, climbing from a good rating of 77 per cent in 2022 to 81 per cent last year and now, 86 per cent.

2. Moorside Medical Practice

In second place is Ripponden Road's Moorside Medical Practice, which scored 82 per cent, though this is only a marginal improvement from last year's 81 per cent.

However, it's a significant leap to the top from its mediocre 66 per cent 'good' rating in 2022.

3. Littletown Family Medical Practice

Finally, the third best practice in the borough goes to Littletown Family Medical Practice.

It had an approval rating of 82 per cent this year, though patients might disagree with its position on this list considering it was scored higher (83 per cent) in 2023 and even higher still at 88 per cent in 2022.

4. St Mary's Medical Centre

The results are interesting this year for St Mary's Medical Centre as not only has it fallen from the top spot in occupied in 2022, but didn't even make the top three.

The Rock Street surgery was the closest to scoring 90 per cent in 2022, with an approval rating of 88 per cent, which solidly secured its position as the best practice.

Last year, it dropped to 83 per cent and now has an approval rating amongst patients of 81 per cent.

As for last year's winner, Leesbrook Surgery came in sixth place, falling from an impressive 86 per cent to 80 per cent this year.

Reacting to the results, a spokesperson for Oldham Integrated Care Partnership said: “Whilst the overall results have been disappointing to see, the patient survey has also shown improvements in some areas since last year.

"This includes the overall experience with practices, the ease of contacting practices, and the confidence and trust in the healthcare professionals seen.

“We are continuing to directly support any practices where there are areas of concern, and a significant investment has been made to ensure that all practices, as of this month, have been upgraded to digital, cloud-based telephony systems. 

“Additionally, practices will be able to apply for funding to help them improve their access for patients even further. We will continue to engage with communities and practices and will use that feedback to drive improvements in these Oldham services.”

Search for your GP surgery below and see how it compares to others.

Got a health story or an issue with your GP? Contact me via email Olivia.bridge@newsquest.co.uk