HEADLINES such as “Health Secretary tells GPs they must open surgeries out of office hours” this week accompanied the increasingly acrimonious dispute between the British Medical Association (BMA) and the Government on GP surgery opening hours.

But something rather curious is going on. According to Dr Laurence Buckman, chairman of the BMA’s GP Committee, a recent survey of more than two million patients showed that the vast majority were happy with their surgery’s opening hours with only 7 per cent wanting it to open on a Saturday morning.

Compare and contrast with a Which? survey of 2,044 members of the public about choices in primary care, carried out in September and October last year. The respondents were asked to choose three health priorities. Their top pick – 28 per cent – was getting an appointment when needed.

How to explain such widely differing conclusions? As with all surveys, it depends who you ask and what you ask.

The GPs surveyed people who use their surgeries regularly: parents of young children, patients with long-term conditions, those who are retired or unemployed – all groups who have no particular need for extended hours.

The Which? survey involves those who do not consider themselves patients. They are generally well, but occasionally need to visit their GP.

They would like to go outside office hours because, unless they do, they may put their jobs at risk. They don’t have time to queue for appointments either.

Dr Buckman, a man who, in my view, has limited PR skills, dismissed the Which? report saying that, “If anyone is asked if they would like more of a good thing, I understand why they say yes.” He misses the point.

Those who are lucky enough to rarely need a doctor find getting appointments such a challenge that they ignore their symptoms – which often means that their serious conditions are diagnosed late. They then say that they didn’t want to bother the doctor with something that might be dismissed as trivial.

Recently, I attended a meeting of Cancer52, a coalition of charities representing several hundred of the rarer cancers – such as of the pancreas, brain or ovary – which collectively are responsible for 52 per cent of all cancer deaths. A constant refrain was that the diagnosis was made too late.

GPs should remember that they need to serve those who are currently not their patients as well as those who are.

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