OKEHAMPTON Medical Centre is asking its patients for their views on potentially extending surgery opening hours.

The practice is consulting with patients about extending opening hours during weekdays from either 7am or 7.30am to 7pm to 7.30pm and about opening on either Saturday or Sunday mornings and about whether patients want a full reception service for making appointments, patient registration, picking up forms, letters and results during the extended hours. The surgery is currently open from 8.15am to 6pm on weekdays.

The medical centre has a survey, which should take no more than five minutes to complete, about opening hours. It is available by email, SMS text message, or paper copies from the centre and other outlets around town including chemists, opticians, dentists and some retail outlets as well as social centres.

They will also be available at village shops which form part of the prescription service.

The consultation has been launched in response to patient feedback received by the centre about a desire for longer opening hours.

Chair of the medical centre’s patient participation group Hugh Norman said: ’We are considering extending our hours to help those who can’t necessarily come during normal working hours and maybe work in Exeter so struggle to get back to Okehampton in time.

’The survey shouldn’t take more than a few minutes and you can get it in several different ways, so we are urging patients to fill it in and share their opinions with us so we can develop our services based on what our patients want.’

Mr Norman also said he was aware that some people were concerned over a lack of consultation with patients, and that the surgery would be doing its best to get information to patients at the centre.

If you would like to contact the patient participation group directly to share any of your thoughts, email [email protected]