Survey shows Scotttish patients happy with their GPs

Friday 30th July 2010

The majority of patients in Scotland are satisfied with the level of care they receive from their family doctor, a survey has revealed.

The first GP Patient Experience Survey showed that nine out of 10 patients in the country rated their GPs' care as excellent or good.

It also found that more than 80% of those polled had no problems with the process of arranging to see a doctor or nurse.

The report, published by the Scottish government, quizzed more than 185,000 adults on issues including making an appointment and seeing nurses and doctors.

The survey found that 90% of patients across Scotland's 14 NHS health boards rated the overall care provided by their GP surgery as good or excellent.

There were regional variations within that category, ranging from 88% of patients in Lanarkshire and Shetland rating their care good or excellent, to 98% in Orkney.

Patients from smaller practices were more likely to rate the care provided by their GP surgery highly than patients from larger practices.

And patients living in the most deprived areas were less likely to rate the overall care provided by their surgery as good or excellent compared to those in more affluent areas.

The statistics further showed that 81% of adults in Scotland were satisfied with the overall arrangements in place to see a doctor, while 6% rated them as poor.

When it came to seeing a nurse, 87% said they were happy with the arrangements.

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