STAFF at Weaverham Surgery have remained tight-lipped after patients voted it as one of the worst GP practices in England once again.

Just 58 per cent of respondents to NHS England’s GP Patient Survey gave the practice a ‘good’ rating for overall experience in this year’s questionnaire.

Weaverham Surgery has been voted the worst practice in the NHS Vale Royal CCG area in every GP Patient Survey since the clinical commissioning group was formed in 2013.

And this year’s result puts the practice in the bottom 1.5 per cent of all surgeries in England, while it also stands as the worst practice in Cheshire.

Cllr John Freeman, member of Weaverham Parish Council, told the Guardian that he believes the practice is understaffed.

“One or two residents have raised issue with the surgery and aren’t best pleased with it,” he said.

“Their main issue is the length of time it takes to see a doctor.

“But the surgery seems short of medical staff, and there are not enough people training to be GPs across the country nowadays.”

Just 24 per cent of Weaverham Surgery patients who took part in the survey rated the practice as ‘very good’, while 34 per cent said it was ‘fairly good’.

Less than half of patients who took part in the story said they would recommend the practice to others, at 47 per cent, and nine per cent of respondents rated it as ‘very poor’.

Only 29 per cent of patients felt they could easily get through to someone at Weaverham Surgery on the phone, while just 37 per cent of respondents felt that they didn’t have to wait too long for an appointment.

Weaverham Surgery declined to comment when approached by the Guardian.

The GP Patient Survey is carried out by Ipsos MORI on behalf of NHS England, and evaluates each GP practice on patients’ experience of making appointments, waiting times, perceptions of care at appointments, practice opening hours, and out-of-hours services.

A total of 1,381 patients responded to the survey in the NHS Vale Royal CCG area, with 105 Weaverham Surgery patients taking part between January and March of this year.