Barking and Dagenham is the fourth worst place to see a GP in England, a study out today shows.

According to the Health Service Journal - which looked at 6,476 out of 7,700 inspection reports in its national analysis - 34.5 per cent of surgeries in the borough are rated inadequate or requires improvement - the two lowest ratings - by watchdog the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

The borough is behind Havering - with 48pc of surgeries getting the bottom rankings - Waltham Forest - on 37pc and Thurrock with 36pc, making Barking and Dagenham the third worst place to see a GP in the capital.

But outside London 46pc of surgeries in England got a top rating of outstanding.

In response a spokeswoman for Barking and Dagenham Clinical Commissioning Group said: “We are aware of the differences in GP practice quality, not just within Barking and Dagenham but across the whole of North East London.”

The CCG spokeswoman went on to identify difficulties in GP recruitment and the “complex needs” of the borough’s diverse and growing population as particualr challenges.

“But we are committed to improving the overall picture and giving people equal access to quality services no matter where they live,” she said.

“All North East London boroughs are working together to learn from each other, identify ways to improve GP practice quality, and repeat successes across the area.

“We won’t see big changes overnight, but we believe a strong focus on improving quality and commitment to sharing good ideas and helping each other, will drive up standards for the future,” she added.