DOCTORS in Devon have earned high praise from patients for the care they provide, rating among the best in the country for their overall service.

Doctors in Devon have earned high praise from patients for the care they provide, rating among the best in the country for their overall service.In a nationwide patient survey, carried out for the Department of Health, Devon GPs scored well above the national average on a whole range of questions - from how easy patients find it to get an appointment to the level of care they get when they arrive. Across the county, 95 per cent of patients surveyed said they were satisfied with the care they received, and a similarly high number expressed confidence and trust in their doctor. In Devon, nine out of ten patients wanting to see a doctor quite quickly were able to be seen on the same day or within 48 hours, and eight out of ten found it easy to get through to their surgery by phone (compared with seven out of ten nationally). And the overwhelming majority (85 per cent) of Devon patients said they were happy with the opening hours of their local surgery, including almost half (49 per cent) who said they were very satisfied. In East Devon, an example of the good work going on is at the Coleridge Medical Centre in Ottery St Mary, where 98 per cent of patients said they were satisfied with their care, 92 per cent said they could book ahead if they needed to, and 94 per cent could be seen fairly quickly when they wanted. Dr Kevin Snee, chief executive at Devon PCT, said: "We're delighted that our GPs have had such a great vote of confidence from patients, and we know the praise is fully deserved. "Working with GPs to allow opening outside normal office hours has been one of our priorities at the trust, so it is gratifying to know how many people are satisfied with the current opening hours. "Our doctors and nurses have been facing more pressures than usual in responding to swine flu, and they have continued to provide a first rate service to their patients in Devon.