PATIENTS in the Langbaurgh area are full of praise for the standards of local healthcare, ranking it number one in the country, according to a national survey.

The Healthcare Commission's Annual Patients' Survey has revealed that 99 per cent of the 415 Langbaurgh patients who responded said they were treated with dignity and respect by the health professional they saw.

The survey also revealed that 95 per cent of respondents said they had every confidence in the health professionals they see.

Jon Chadwick, chief executive of the primary care trust, said: "We welcome that the high quality of care our staff and contractors provide has been recognised by the people of Langbaurgh and find the survey helpful in confirming areas we see as needing further development."

In relation to access to GP services, the survey found 77 per cent reported being seen as soon as they thought was necessary, compared to 61 per cent in the year-ago survey.

About 75 per cent reported a wait of two days or less for an appointment.

Sixty-nine per cent of people said they were registered with an NHS dentist.

The Healthcare Commission's annual patients' survey consulted almost 117,000 people nationally for views of services provided by general practices, local health centres and dental surgeries.