#CrisisAtTheClinic: Mass exodus of patients from Stamford GP, but feedback "very positive"

This week we're investigating the problems facing patients in Stamford and GPs across the country

Author: Ellis MaddisonPublished 15th Nov 2022
Last updated 15th Nov 2022

We can exclusively reveal there's been a mass exodus of patients from a GP surgery in Stamford as services struggle to cope with demand.

According to weighted figures, patient numbers at Lakeside Healthcare at Stamford have dropped by almost 2,500 in two years.

All this week, as part of our #CrisisAtTheClinic investigation, we're looking into why figures are falling, where patients are going, and the wider issues affecting general practices nationally.

The biggest decrease at all Lakeside practices

Lakeside Healthcare at Stamford was rated overall as 'requiring improvement' after the latest Care Quality Commission (CQC) Inspection in March, up from 'Inadequate' overall previously.

The GP provider said staff would 'continue to work hard to get the practice up to a better standard' and that a new digital consultation system was launched 'in order to address increased demand and access issues'.

All seven of Lakeside's other GPs were all rated as 'good' from their latest CQC inspection - see their year-by-year weighted patient numbers since 2019 here:

Corby

2022: 47,815

2021: 48,870

2020: 49,359

2019: 49,507

Headlands:

2022: 10,012

2021: 10,233

2020: 10,288

2019: 10,303

Oundle:

2022: 10,445

2021: 10,497

2020: 10,454

2019: 10,500

Yaxley:

2022: 17,504

2021: 16,632

2020: 16,123

2019: 15,950

NQS:

2022: 20.069

2021: 20,119

2020: 19,892

2019: 20,008

St Neots:

2022: 21,443

2021: 22,160

2020: 22,157

2019: 22,774

Stamford

2022: 26,308

2021: 28,144

2020: 28,792

2019: 28,721

Hereward:

2022: 12,179

2021: 12,506

2020: 12,716

2019: 12,014

A local healthcare 'monopoly'

Lakeside's Hereward Practice, in Bourne, was last rated as 'good' by the CQC - and is only a few miles from Stamford.

Among 'organisational and staffing issues', Lincolnshire County Councillor Richard Cleaver, who also sits on the Lincolnshire Health Scrutiny Committee, tells us Lakeside's 'monopoly' in Stamford is one reason as to why standards aren't as high.

"In Bourne you have two GP surgeries serving the town, with clearly highly overlapping catchment areas..."

"...obviously competition means that people will move very quickly and if you don't step up to the plate, you're going to lose all your patients. In Stamford, there isn't competition there, we have a monopoly provider, and a lot of people feel very strongly that that is wrong in principle, I agree with them."

"Once a town is of a certain size, there should be a presumption against having a monopoly unless there's very good reason to have one provider in a town. I have been pushing very hard on Gareth Davies MP and NHS Lincolnshire to come out publicly to agree with me on that."

Lakeside's Sheepmarket Surgery in Stamford

"...Patient choice is important, it's very, very important."

Lakeside said there were a number of reasons why patients may de-register, including family, relocation or personal issues - and recognised that recruitment remained a significant challenge in healthcare.

'Very positive feedback'

Lakeside say their new digital consultation system, known as Doctrin, has received successful reviews from patients - with the system at Lakeside's Hereward Practice in Bourne achieving the highest-ever patient satisfaction ratings for the whole of Europe.

Lakeside Healthcare said: "The Doctrin online consultation system launched at Stamford in late March this year and patient feedback, from Stamford and all our sites, has been very positive..."

In response to Lakeside Healthcare at Stamford's latest CQC inspection, hub manager Hub Manager, Teri White, who was recruited as part of an ongoing improvement strategy, said:

“As a team we are determined to get Lakeside Healthcare at Stamford to where it needs to be for our patients and stakeholders and have a positive relationship with our Patient Participation Group.

“We have made significant changes since the previous inspection, including employing more staff, restructuring our teams, introducing new management and upgrading our telephone system. We also deployed staff proactively to deal with areas of greatest demand and installed a new online consultation system, which is accessible out of surgery hours. This raft of measures was all aimed at improving administrative and clinical capacity and increasing access for patients, at a time of huge demand.

“Although we have carried out a massive amount of work in a relatively short space of time, as recognised in this report, we acknowledge that more needs to be done and so will carefully prioritise and tackle the actions identified by the CQC.

“I would like to thank my colleagues for their commitment and dedication. They have worked tirelessly, under constant pressure, and will continue to do so. Our team is realistic about the improvements we have implemented so far, but also about the continuing challenges that we are all working hard to resolve.”

All this week we'll bring you more from our #CrisisAtTheClinic investigation, looking at local healthcare provision in Stamford and Rutland as well as the wider issues affecting GPs nationally.

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