The best and worst places for GP surgeries in England have been rated - with huge gaps between those at the top and bottom.
According to a new study, Exeter's family doctors came out on top, while those in Peterborough, Leicester and Birmingham are said to be falling short.
Researchers say they uncovered a "postcode lottery" after comparing Google reviews and ratings by the Care Quality Commission.
More than 850 different local NHS medical centres in 21 major towns and cities were compared by law firm Simpson Millar.
It found nearly all GP surgeries in England have been rated either ‘Good’ or ‘Outstanding by the CQC, but the average patient review score on Google is just 2.81 out of five stars.
According to the CQC figures, just 2% of the general practices analysed ‘Require Improvement’ and 1% were ‘Inadequate’.
Patients disagree though, with five times as many GPs getting poor online reviews and an average score of 2 stars out of 5 or less.
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Peterborough scored the lowest of all the 21 towns and cities analysed suggesting patients think there is room for improvement.
No GPs in Peterborough were rated ‘Inadequate’ by the CQC though – when last inspected, two practices (11%) were considered to require some improvement overall, while three (16%) had been awarded an ‘Outstanding’ rating.
Also near the bottom of the table for online patient reviews are both Leicester and Hull, both with 2.5/5 and Birmingham hitting 2.59/5.
Birmingham also has the most GPs that were rated as ‘Inadequate’ overall by the Care Quality Commission – and 6% were deemed to need some improvement.
GPs in Leicester were featured six times on the list of the ‘worst 20’, and 8% were deemed either ‘Inadequate’ or ‘Requiring Improvement’ by the CQC.
Hull had a low patient review score, but no GPs were considered to be offering a service below expected levels in official reports.
GPs typically received much better online reviews from patients in Exeter (3.52/5), Cambridge (3.36/5) and Oxford (3.29/5).
In the last CQC inspections of surgeries in Exeter, 35% earned an overall ‘Outstanding’ rating – the highest of all the areas analysed.
It also doesn’t have a single practice considered to be in need of improvement at this time.
The law firm wrote in its study: "Overall, it appears that when it comes to local healthcare provision there is somewhat of a ‘postcode lottery’.
"While there are some city or town-specific trends between poor patient reviews and low CQC ratings, more often than not it appears to be largely down to the practice itself, with some GPs looking to offer a very high-quality service to their patients, while others in the area appear to fall below expected standards.
"While an inadequate rating doesn’t necessarily equate to poor patient care, where there is a concern regarding safety and leadership capability it does suggest that there are risks to those who rely on those GP surgeries."
