A patient satisfaction survey has revealed that 77 per cent of Haringey residents are content with the opening hours of their GP surgeries. The 2008 GP patient access survey concludes that only 23 per cent of people living in Haringey have expressed dissa

A patient satisfaction survey has revealed that 77 per cent of Haringey residents are content with the opening hours of their GP surgeries.

The 2008 GP patient access survey concludes that only 23 per cent of people living in Haringey have expressed dissatisfaction with their GP surgeries, which is slightly above the average for London (at 22 per cent), while the national average is 18 per cent.

But it also suggests that more could be done to improve the service, with patients citing surgeries not being open late enough in the evenings and staying closed on Saturdays as the main reasons for discontent.

The survey, published by the NHS Information Centre, also showed that satisfaction with opening hours was the lowest (46 per cent) among those full-time workers who said they could not take time off work to see a GP.

Haringey Teaching Primary Care Trust has jumped on the survey as being in support of its plans to introduce up to five polyclinics in the borough, which will be open at weekends and in the evenings.

Helen Brown, acting deputy chief executive of the trust, said: "These results demonstrate that while most patients are satisfied with the opening hours of their GP surgeries, there is more we can do to further improve the way we deliver primary and community care."

Meanwhile, the Liberal Democrats in Haringey have released their own statistics on patient satisfaction. They claim to have asked 1,281 Haringey residents over a six-month period what facilities they would like to see in Hornsey hospital, which will open as a polyclinic in 2010.

According to their research, 59 per cent of respondents said they wanted to see X-ray services; 54 per cent emergency care; and 26 per cent homeopathic and alternative therapies.

Hornsey and Wood Green MP Lynne Featherstone said: "We have the building, now we need to know what is going to go in it. We are absolutely clear that local residents do not want to see a reduction in number of GPs or mass forced relocations of local practices. But this is only one part of the story.

"I have been campaigning with local residents for over a decade to get Hornsey hospital re-opened. To be called a hospital it must have more than basic GP services. Our survey has show there is significant demand for wider services.

"This is real opportunity. The health trust must act now to engage with local people.