A DOCTORS' surgery in Weymouth was today named as the best in the area in new ratings.

Abbotsbury Road Surgery came out top in the survey, scoring the full 1,000 marks possible and putting it in the top five per cent of assessed surgeries nationwide.

It featured in statistics published by the NHS Information Centre.

The centre scored practices for different areas of their work in the 2006/7 period.

These areas included clinical care, organisation, patient care experience and additional services.

GP Peter Hewett said the Abbotsbury Road Surgery's 9,300 patients could feel reassured by the news.

"We are extremely gratified by these results. It has involved an awful lot of hard work and reorganising of what we were doing but it should improve patient care."

He said action taken to achieve top results had included more rigorous blood pressure and cholesterol checks for patients.

Dr Hewett added: "More routine work has gone to nurses, which has freed doctors up to concentrate on managing more complicated problems.

"This, in turn, has freed up hospitals for dealing with emergency work."

The figures come from the Quality and Outcomes Framework payment scheme, part of new NHS contracting arrangements put in place three years ago.

Surgeries signed up to the system are paid by their results.

The NHS says the framework is about rewarding good practice with payment and is designed to ensure high service in a range of areas from heart failure treatment, education and training to additional services such as cervical screening and contraceptive services.

Surgeries were scored out of a possible 1,000 points. Other practices in Weymouth and Dorset also were above the national average, which fell between 858.6 and 986.4 points.

Sharon Prior, primary care development co-ordinator for Dorset PCT, said: "We are very pleased with these results."

  • For a more detailed breakdown of the results visit www.ic.nhs.uk

2006/7 GP results

Weymouth

Abbotsbury Road Surgery: 1000.00

Bridges Medical Centre: 982.46

Cross Road Surgery: 989.11

Dorchester Road Surgery: 994.12

Lanehouse Surgery: 927.27

Royal Crescent and Preston Road Practice: 992.69

Wyke Regis Health Centre: 994.27

Royal Manor: Health Care, Portland: 982.38

Dorchester

Broadmayne Surgery: 935.52

Cerne Abbas Practice: 989.94

Cornwall Road Surgery: 989.79

Fordington Surgery: 988.77

Maiden Newton and Beaminster Practice: 991.08

Prince of Wales Road Surgery: 991.60

Puddletown Surgery: 988.15

Queens Avenue Surgery: 984.66

Trinity Street Surgery: 988.10