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Data published for the first time today will help patients choose the right GP surgery and help GPs and the NHS to make improvements to the way they do things.

Data on over 8,000 GP practices in England will be used to form a new measure of patient experience for each surgery based on things like:

• How convenient it is to get an appointment;

• The length of time you have to spend waiting in reception;

• What the opening hours are like; and

• Whether the doctors and nurses are good at explaining things and listening to patients.

Each GP surgery will get a score out of ten, and this will help patients to choose which surgery to register with as well as help drive up standards within the profession. This data will be based on patients’ responses to the GP Patient Survey.

Health Minister Lord Howe said: “As we set out in our Information Strategy, we want to make it easier for patients to find the best NHS care for them...Giving patients more information about their local NHS is a big part of our commitment to transparency and using data to drive improvements."

• Department of Health Press Release