Revealed: The lowest rated GP surgeries in Preston according to NHS Choices

More than 50 practices in Preston have been rated and a percentage assigned to each one based on an average of how likely a patient is to recommend the surgery to a friend.

The list, compiled by the NHS, is pubished on the NHS Choices website. According to the ratings, anything below a 70 per cent average rating is considered ‘among the worst’, while anything with 90 per cent or above is ‘among the best’.

Those rated between 70 per cent to 89 per cent are classed as ‘OK’. Patients are asked: ‘Would you recommend your GP surgery to someone who had just moved to the area?’.

The scores for this question are grouped into three ‘bandings’: ‘among the worst’ - these are scores in the worst 25% of all scores nationally; ‘in the middle range’ - these are scores that are in the middle 50% of scores nationally; and ‘among the best’ - these are scores that are in the best 25% of scores nationally.

The NHS Choices website states: “The GP Patient Survey is sent out twice a year to around 1.36 million adults who are registered with a GP in England.

“The results of the survey for each GP practice are weighted to adjust the data to account for potential differences between the demographic profile of all eligible patients in a practice and the patients who actually complete a questionnaire.

“When using indicators to make comparisons between general practices, it is important to consider the context in which GPs provide services.

“For example the characteristics of the patients treated by a practice – in terms of things like age or deprivation – can affect the value of an indicator, unless these factors are taken into account when the indicator is calculated.

“Similarly, a practice’s performance on an indicator can sometimes be influenced by other organisations that are caring for the same patients – local hospitals or community services, for example. The GP patient survey data is updated on NHS Choices bi-annually.”