Hyde GP sets standard in exceptional patient care amid declining NHS satisfaction rates

Amid a stark decline in NHS satisfaction rates, a GP Practice in Hyde is bucking the national trend by becoming the highest rated GP in the country.

The Brooke Surgery in Hyde is the only NHS GP surgery in the country open for patient requests 24/7, 365 days a year.

The team have transformed primary care in Tameside by providing unprecedented levels of access to upwards of 19,500 patients.

The average time from a patient first making a request to the patient completing their appointment is just 5 hours - including face to face appointments.

A direct effect of this innovation has been relieving pressures on secondary care - Greater Manchester Integrated Care Board data has shown that this level of efficiency has led to a significant reduction in the number of patients attending A&E and contacting 111. 

Dr. Nabeel Arshad, Partner at The Brooke Surgery said: "Naturally, as someone who has worked for the NHS for over a decade, it's disheartening to see patients feel so let down.

“The NHS leads the world in terms of equity of access and ensuring people don’t suffer financial hardship when they are ill, but it is widely understood that the service is held back by poor resourcing and funding. As a result, and certainly something we are seeing in our catchment, people are reluctant to sign up to GPs or access healthcare until they become really poorly.”

Less than a quarter of British Social Attitudes survey respondents say they are satisfied with care that they have received from the UK’s National Health Service, but one General Practitioner in Hyde, just outside of Manchester, is bringing internationally recognized care to the community.

Last week, news hit the headlines that public satisfaction with the NHS had hit a new low, marking a five-point drop since last year, and an astonishing decline compared to 2010's 70% satisfaction rate.

Respondents to the survey - widely regarded as the gold standard for measuring the public's view of the health service - indicated that long waiting times, staff shortages, and lack of funding were the reasons for their poor feedback.

Drs. Nabeel Arshad, Shay Kuponu and Ashfaq Faruq are working hard to challenge the status quo.

A direct effect of this innovation has been relieving pressures on secondary care - Greater Manchester Integrated Care Board data has shown that this level of efficiency has led to a significant reduction in the number of patients attending A&E and contacting 111.  

More than just inbound care, the team is proactive in communicating with patients. The team created a library of videos detailing seasonal health advice and surgery updates on The Brooke Surgery’s social media platforms. As an example, heading into spring and summer 2023 the team published videos on dealing with common summer conditions such as hay fever, enabling patients to self-care. These videos became so popular that many went beyond The Brooke Surgery’s community, with patients sharing them with family and friends across Manchester.

However, despite being the highest Google rated GP in the UK and becoming nationally and internationally recognised for excellence, the practice partners have found that one of the main reasons is the historically poor interactions that locals have had with the service. This is unsurprising given last week’s news that satisfaction with GP services has dropped by 34 percentage points over the past 4 years.

Dr. Shay Kuponu, Partner at The Brooke Surgery, echoed Arshad’s sentiments: "Hyde is a tight knit community, and word of mouth is an invaluable tool to us - but seeing all of the positive patient reviews online shows us how valued our work is. That’s what really motivates us to continue.

"We would love to see more people join our surgery and access the care they are entitled to. While we know that there are obstacles ahead, we are determined to continue providing exceptional care."