The two GP practices in Shepton Mallet, Park Medical Practice and Grove House Surgery, have surpassed the national averages in a recent patient satisfaction survey, reflecting the general public sentiment towards their healthcare services.

Park Medical Practice was noted by 64% of its patients for its telephone accessibility, considerably higher than the national result of 50%. Meanwhile, 86% of respondents rated the practice's reception team as helpful, compared to the national average of 82%.

On the other hand, Grove House Surgery received a 79% score for its telephone accessibility, and 94% of its patients rated the receptionists as helpful.

Both practices recorded above-average scores regarding satisfaction with appointment times, with 64% at Park Medical Practice and 58% at Grove House Surgery expressing satisfaction, outperforming the national average of 53%.

Regarding patient-doctor interactions, both practices also scored above the national average. 52% of patients at Grove House Surgery reported that they usually get to see or speak to their preferred GP, with Park Medical Practice recording a similar result at 34%, compared to the national average of 35%.

Patients' experiences of making appointments were generally positive, with 66% of patients at Park Medical Practice and 71% at Grove House Surgery describing their experience as good, against the national average of 58%.

Furthermore, most patients at both practices felt they were given enough time during appointments, with approval ratings of 91% at Grove House Surgery and 84% at Park Medical Practice.

The understanding of mental health needs was also noted, with 71% of patients at Park Medical Practice and 88% at Grove House Surgery indicating that the healthcare professional recognised or understood their mental health needs during their appointment.

A spokesperson for NHS Somerset said: "We welcome the results of the GP Patient Survey which found that 73% of patients report a good or very good overall experience with their GP practice in Somerset, which is in line with the national average.

"In Somerset out of the 600,000 patients registered at our 62 practices, 7,757 responses were received to the GP Patient Survey.

"The results from the GP Patient Survey are one of a number data sources we use to better understand the experiences of patients accessing General Practice in Somerset.

"GP teams in Somerset are delivering around 300,000 appointments a month and over 313 additional General Practice staff have been recruited in Somerset since 2019 to ensure more patients are seen by the right health professional as quickly as possible.

"We work with GP Practices and the wider health and care system in Somerset to continuously improve access to general practice and experience of care for our population.

"This includes investing in additional training and support for practice staff, in technology such as improved phone systems and increasing use of community pharmacy and other health professionals to make it easier for people in Somerset to access General Practice".