A MAJOR survey by the Healthcare Commission reveals that patients in Warrington have largely given the thumbs up to the quality of treatment they have received from doctors and dentists in the town.

Most patients have confidence and trust in the person caring for them and the vast majority report that they are always treated with dignity and respect.

The results form part of a national survey of almost 117,000 people whose views were sought about service provided by general practices, health centres and dental surgeries.

Key findings of patients who responded from Warrington include:

l 78 per cent said they definitely had confidence and trust in the doctor they saw.

l 95 per cent said the doctor whom they saw always treated them with dignity and respect.

l 72 per cent said that they were definitely involved in decisions about their care and treatment.

l 73 per cent of patients reported being seen as soon as they thought was necessary.

l 69 per cent of patients reported a wait of two days or less for an appointment.

l 80 per cent of dental patients definitely had confidence and trust in their dentist.

Allison Cooke, Warrington Primary Care Trust chief executive, said: "We are very pleased that patients are generally positive about primary healthcare services in Warrington.

"However, there are areas that we need to look at to make improvements and we are working on an action plan at the moment. We can only make improvements by taking patient views into consideration."