An annual survey of patient satisfaction across the NHS has revealed which surgeries in Bucks have the most - and least - helpful receptionists.

The results of an annual GP Patient Survey were recently published by NHS England, shedding light on patients' experiences with their local practitioners and revealing how surgeries scored in criteria including frequency of interaction and the helpfulness of reception staff.

We looked at how surgeries in Buckinghamshire, across the county's nine Primary Care Networks, scored on the helpfulness of receptionists between the surveyed months of January and April 2023.

Oakfield Surgery in Aylesbury and Rectory Meadow Surgery in Amersham came out on top, receiving scores of 95 and 94 per cent, with a vast majority of patients rating their reception services as helpful.

The Mandeville Practice in Aylesbury and Kingswood Surgery in High Wycombe were rated the lowest for patient experience of helpful receptionists, with only 59 per cent saying they would rate their experiences with reception staff as helpful.

Scores of overall satisfaction among patients with their GP practices varied even more widely, with Rectory Meadow Surgery receiving a score of 93 per cent and The Mandeville Practice receiving an overall rating of just 32 per cent. 

Ratings were at their lowest for Bucks surgeries when they were evaluated on how often patients see or speak to their preferred GP, with only 6 per cent of those surveyed from the Bourne End and Wooburn Green Medical Centre answering in the affirmative.

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Tower House Surgery, Stokenchurch Medical Centre and Kingswood Surgery, all in High Wycombe, scored similarly low for the frequency of patient interactions with their preferred practitioner, with respective ratings of 6 and 7 per cent.

However, numbers were high across the board when patients were asked how confident they were in their healthcare professional at their most recent appointment, with every surgery in the area scored at above 80 per cent.

The wider UK survey results showed a decline in the number of people who said they were happy with the services provided by their GP, marking the highest level of dissatisfaction in six years. 

The NHS found that despite a large percentage of patients reporting dissatisfaction with their access to primary care, overall confidence and trust in healthcare providers remained generally high, with 91 per cent of participants across the UK reporting that their needs had been met.