Thousands of people were asked to rate their overall experiences at doctors’ surgeries around the borough as very good, fairly good, fairly poor, very poor, and neither good nor poor.

Response rates to the surveys sent out varied from as high as 52 per cent to as low as 28 per cent.

The national UK average for combined fairly good and very good answers to this question was 82 per cent, a number that many Swindon GPs failed to reach.

The survey was carried out in 2020, and may not reflect the latest opinion as the pandemic has meant access to services have changed drastically. 

This is the ranking of Swindon borough GPs from best to worst, including Royal Wootton Bassett practices, according to patients:

-Cricklade Surgery - 96 per cent

-Elm Tree Surgery,The Lawn Medical Centre and Lansdowne Surgery - all 95 per cent

-Purton Surgery - 94 per cent

-Ridgeway Family Practice - 89 per cent

-Westrop Medical Practice and Kingswood Surgery - both 87 per cent

-Old Town Surgery and North Swindon Practice - both 86 per cent

-Ridge Green Medical Practice - 84 per cent

-Hawthorn Medical Centre - 81 per cent

-Priory Road Medical Centre and Carfax Medical Centre - both 78 per cent

-Great Western Surgery and Royal Wootton Bassett’s New Court Surgery - 77 per cent

-Eldene Surgery and Royal Wootton Bassett’s Tinkers Lane Surgery - 74 per cent

-Victoria Cross Surgery - 73 per cent

-Ashington House Surgery - 71 per cent

-Whalebridge Practice - 71 per cent

-Phoenix Surgery - 68 per cent

-Sparcells Surgery - 67 per cent

-Merchiston Surgery - 66 per cent

-Abbey Meads Medical Practice - 65 per cent

-Park Lane Practice - 51 per cent

-Moredon Medical Centre - 49 per cent

Contacting GPs by phone seemed to be a common problem among many practices in the area.

Less than half of surveyed patients at former IMH surgeries found it easy to give their doctor a ring, with just 13 per cent of Moredon Medical Centre patients, 29 per cent of Abbey Meads patients, 34 per cent of Phoenix patients, and 47 per cent of Eldene patients saying it was simple to do so.

Little more than a third of Merchiston Surgery patients found it easy to call their GP .

Westrop Medical Practice, Cricklade Surgery, Lawn Medical Centre, Old Town Surgery, North Swindon Practice and Elm Tree Surgery were the easiest to call, each scoring higher than 80 per cent.

The Cricklade and Lawn practices came out tops by scoring 90 per cent or higher.

In terms of receptionists, Lawn Medical Centre and Purton Surgery had the most helpful, with 99 per cent of surveyed patients saying so.

On the other end of the scale, 73 per cent of Park Lane patients said their receptionists were helpful.