RANKED: The best and worst GPs to book appointments at in Newcastle

Patients’ satisfaction with booking a GP appointment is on the rise, despite a public row brewing over whether doctors are seeing enough people face-to-face.

The majority of patients (71%) had a good experience booking an appointment, according to the latest GP Patient Survey, produced by Ipsos MORI on behalf of NHS England.

This is up from 65% in the 2020 survey.

The issue of whether GPs are offering enough face-to-face appointments as Covid-19 restrictions ease remains hotly debated.

Health Secretary Sajid Javid has now unveiled a £250m package for GPs in England to improve access to their services - but only if they increase the number of in-person consultations.

GP groups have responded angrily, accusing ministers of failing to grasp the scale of the staffing crisis affecting surgeries.

The patient survey contacted 2.4 million people from January to April of this year to gather information on how patients feel about their local GP service, and around a third of them responded.

The results reveal the best and worst rated surgeries in Newcastle and surrounding areas.

Data is broken down into Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) in Newcastle Gateshead, North Tyneside and South Tyneside.

Here are where patients are finding it easiest and hardest to score appointments in those areas.*

Newcastle Gateshead CCG

BEST

Sunniside Surgery

8, Dewhurst Terrace, Sunniside, Newcastle upon Tyne NE16 5LP

77% of patients had a very good experience booking appointments and 18.5% had a fairly good experience with 2.1% having a negative experience.

WORST

Birtley Medical Group

Durham Rd, Birtley DH3 2QT

14.4% of patients had a very poor experience and 18.1% had a fairly poor experience with 43.2% having a positive experience.

North Tyneside

BEST

Whitley Bay Health Centre

165 Whitley Rd, Whitley Bay NE26 2ND

59.9% of patients had a very good experience booking appointments and 26.4% had a fairly good experience with 2.8% having a negative experience.

WORST

Spring Terrace Health Centre

Spring Terrace, North Shields NE29 0HQ

9.2% of patients had a very poor experience and 9.3% had a fairly poor experience with 53.8% having a positive experience.

South Tyneside

BEST

Talbot Medical Centre

Stanley St, South NE34 0BX

61.5% of patients have very good experience booking appointments and 20.8% have a fairly good experience with 10.7% having a negative experience.

WORST

St George & Riverside Medical Practice

New George Street South Shields Tyne And Wear NE33 5DU

10.5% of patients had a very poor experience and 5.8% had a fairly poor experience with 67.7% having a positive experience.

*Best GPs in area ranked by highest % of 'very good' rankings, worst GPs by highest % of 'very poor'.