A THIRD local GP surgery has been defended following the release of controversial results of Government investigations.

A patient at Holycroft Surgery in Keighley has added his voice to concerns about the league tables and inspections.

Ken Hargreaves, a member of Holycroft’s Patient Participation Group (PPG), urged people to ‘look behind’ the figures issued to the public.

Mr Hargreaves spoke after the Keighley News published the league table comparisons of local GP practices in the National Patient Satisfaction Survey.

Oakworth Medical Centre was the local ‘top of the docs’ with 97 per cent, while One Medicare @ North Street, in Keighley, came bottom with 40 per cent.

Holycroft Surgery scored 67 per cent – second from the bottom.

A member of One Medicare’s PPG subsequently wrote to defend the surgery, citing the “caring and friendly” atmosphere and praising new owners Westcliffe Medical Practice.

This month, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) ordered Cross Hills GP surgery to improve its work, but bosses said they were “disappointed and dissatisfied” that some aspects of the report were based on three-year-old data.

Mr Hargreaves this week expressed dissatisfaction with Holycroft’s placing in the National Patient Satisfaction Survey.

He said that in nine areas, Holycroft’s scores either equalled or exceeded the national averages, particularly regarding the skills of the surgery’s GPs and nurses.

He added: “The many good scores we received were overshadowed by a very few scores where some improvement was required.

“The reliability of any survey or questionnaire depends on the size of the sample of people used in the research and how representative they are of the general population.

“In the case of Holycroft, the sample of patients who completed the survey was lower than the national average, and the size of our patient group is higher than some other practices .

“The data was collected between January and September 2015 – historical data that did not indicate where improvements have already been made.”

Mr Hargreaves said Holycroft’s inspection by the Care College Commission revealed a ‘good’ rating across all services and an ‘outstanding’ rating for the care of people with long-term conditions.

He added: “The in-depth and rigorous investigation of an inspection could be more reliable than the National Patient Satisfaction Survey, and caution must be taken to ensure research data paints an accurate picture of the quality of healthcare services provided.”

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