NEW data reveals which general practice in Dorset keep their patients waiting the longest for appointments with their GP - and where was the most efficient for patients.
Published by the NHS, data spanning from the beginning of May 2020 to the end of October this year, reveal Dorset’s best and worse performing GPs for appointment waiting times.
Shelley Manor Holdenhurst Medical Centre (SMHMC), in Holdenhurst Road, Bournemouth, has been revealed as the surgery to keep a greater percentage of its patients waiting more than 28 days for an appointment.
Read more: GP patient survey reveals Dorset's best and worst practices
A total of 19.23 per cent of the 4,212 appointments made in October took more than 28 days from the patient’s initial request to being seen.
This is 810 appointments with a more-than-28-day time difference between the appointment being booked and the patient being seen.
Several factors are to be taken into account which can drive the time for booking an appointment, including availability at the practice, patient availability, the urgency of the appointment and GP advice.
The GP Partners at SMHMC said: “Whilst we acknowledge the data published by NHS Digital we feel it does not accurately reflect the care that our registered patients receive across our sites in Holdenhurst Road and Shelley Manor.”
The spokeswoman added primary care is “much more than face to face GP appointments” as there are a team of nurses too, and that some appointments are booked more that 28 days in advance.
“Like the wider healthcare system, GP practices are currently facing extreme pressures including recruitment issues and we thank people for their understanding of the situation.”
GPs across the country have faced huge pressure already this winter, with calls over Strep A and flu sending call volumes spiralling at some surgeries.
The second and third poorest performing in Dorset for appointment times are The Birchwood Practice in Poole, with 19.18 per cent of its appointments taking more than 28 days to land, and Quarterjack Surgery in Wimborne, with 19.17 per cent.
Only two out of the 73 surgeries didn’t have any appointments that took longer than 28 days to be attended, including Poole Town Surgery and Kinson Road Medical Centre.
Meanwhile, The Cranborne Practice, in Cranborne, saw 82.34 per cent of its patients within the same day of booking, which was the highest. Only 39 per cent of appointments in total were seen on the same day nationally.
In October, 36.1 million appointments were estimated to have happened nationally and 43.5 per cent of all appointments were carried out by a GP.
Surgeries with the largest percentage of appointments seen on the same day of booking:
THE CRANBORNE PRACTICE 82.34%
THE PANTON PRACTICE 75.34%
THE DORCHESTER RD SURGERY 71.91%
PUDDLETOWN SURGERY 71.59%
KINSON ROAD MEDICAL CENTRE 66.17%
STOUR SURGERY 66.05%
THE ROSEMARY HEALTH CTR 61.90%
BARTON HOUSE MED PRACTICE 61.70%
ORCHID HOUSE SURGERY 61.69%
EVERGREEN OAK SURGERY 60.42%
WAREHAM SURGERY 59.57%
FARMHOUSE SURGERY 58.80%
CORFE CASTLE SURGERY 57.00%
THE HARVEY PRACTICE 55.86%
VILLAGE SURGERY 55.33%
LITTLEDOWN SURGERY 54.91%
SHORE MEDICAL 51.59%
ST ALBANS MEDICAL CENTRE 51.43%
SHELLEY MANOR HOLDENHURST MEDICAL CENTRE 51.02%
CRESCENT PROVIDENCE SURGERY 50.57%
MOORDOWN MEDICAL CENTRE 50.26%
LIFEBOAT QUAY MEDICAL CENTRE 49.14%
ATRIUM HEALTH CENTRE 48.92%
THE HADLEIGH PRACTICE 48.84%
MALTHOUSE MEADOWS SURGERY 47.68%
THE WELLBRIDGE PRACTICE 46.57%
AMMONITE HEALTH PARTNERSHIP 44.49%
WINTON HEALTH CENTRE 44.46%
THE BRIDGES MEDICAL CTR. 44.42%
THE GROVE MEDICAL CENTRE 43.71%
THE BANKS & BEARWOOD MEDICAL CENTRE 42.81%
BERE REGIS SURGERY 42.62%
CHRISTCHURCH MEDICAL PRACTICE 42.18%
GROVE SURGERY 41.71%
POUNDBURY DOCTORS SURGERY 41.61%
SOUTHBOURNE PRACTICE 41.50%
BEAUFORT ROAD SURGERY 41.31%
THE BARCELLOS FAMILY PRACTICE 41.23%
THE MARINE & OAKRIDGE PARTNERSHIP 41.11%
HIGHCLIFFE MEDICAL CENTRE 41.06%
GILLINGHAM MEDICAL PRACTICE 40.87%
THE OLD DISPENSARY 40.12%
YETMINSTER MEDICAL CENTRE 39.55%
FORDINGTON SURGERY 39.20%
THE PRINCE OF WALES SURGERY 38.83%
MILTON ABBAS SURGERY 38.83%
QUARTERJACK SURGERY 38.77%
WOODLEA HOUSE SURGERY 37.50%
WESTBOURNE MEDICAL CENTRE 36.78%
PENNY'S HILL PRACTICE 36.41%
CANFORD HEATH GROUP PRACT 36.38%
QUEENS AVENUE SURGERY 35.98%
THE VERWOOD SURGERY 35.87%
ROYAL CRESCENT SURGERY 35.60%
CROSS ROAD SURGERY 35.53%
JAMES FISHER MEDICAL CENTRE 34.82%
ROYAL MANOR HEALTH CARE 34.49%
WALFORD MILL MEDICAL CENTRE 34.16%
THE BIRCHWOOD PRACTICE 32.30%
SWANAGE MEDICAL PRACTICE 31.67%
CERNE ABBAS SURGERY 31.40%
THE BLANDFORD GROUP PRACTICE 31.15%
BLACKMORE VALE PARTNERSHIP 30.77%
TALBOT MEDICAL CENTRE 30.73%
DR NEWMAN 30.21%
THE ADAM PRACTICE 29.78%
POOLE TOWN SURGERY 29.53%
THE APPLES MEDICAL CENTRE 27.52%
LYME BAY MEDICAL PRACTICE 23.62%
SANDFORD SURGERY 20.22%
DENMARK ROAD MEDICAL CENTRE 19.78%
WEST MOORS VILLAGE SURGERY 13.38%
WYKE REGIS & LANEHOUSE MEDICAL PRACTICE 8.21%
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