A third NHS Walk-in Centre opened in Southampton this month, making it the only city in England with three Walk-in Centres.  The new centre, at the Royal South Hants hospital site, joins the two popular centres at Shirley and Bitterne.

John Denham said "NHS Walk-in Centres offer greater access to NHS services for local people, 365 days a year, from early in the morning until late at night.   They are able to treat illnesses and injuries such as infections and rashes, coughs, headaches and stomach upsets, cuts and bruises, strains and sprains.  They can also give advice on colds and flu-like symptoms, offer blood pressure testing and health promotion.  They can also provide emergency contraception."

This week the Government has also published the results of its GP survey. 

Over 2 million people responded to the survey, giving the NHS the clearest picture of patient experience ever and enabling patients to compare the performance of GP practices in their area for the forst time.

The survey results show that the majority of patients are satisfied with access to their GP including making appointments in advance and getting through to their surgery on the phone.

• 86 per cent of people reported that they were satisfied with their ability to get through to their doctor’s surgery on the phone.
• 86 per cent of people who tried to get a quick appointment with a GP said they were able to do so within 48 hours.
• Three quarters of people who wanted to book ahead for an appointment with a doctor reported that they were able to do so.
• The majority of people (84%) said they were satisfied with the current opening hours in their practice.

John Denham said "This survey of more than two million people showed that most are happy with the service provided by their GPs.  It also identified some areas where the service could be better.  Of those not satisfied with the current opening hours in their practice, nearly half said they wanted the practice to open on a Saturday and a quarter said they wanted the practice to open on a weekday evening.  It will be up to the PCT and for individual practices to determine what services are required locally as a one-size fits all approach is not going to meet the very complex needs of different communities." 

What do you think about NHS GP services?  Add your comments below.