GP poll blow to extra hours plan

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/health/7232566.stm

Version 0 of 1.

Nearly two-thirds of GPs in England will turn down the government's plan for a longer working week, a survey suggests.

Ministers want more surgeries open at weekends and in the evenings, but the poll for GP magazine found 65% of doctors against the proposals.

Only 6% of the 350 GPs surveyed said they would accept the idea.

The Department of Health said that more than 6m patients were unhappy with their surgery opening hours.

We know from reports all over the country that there is huge strength of feeling among GPs about the way the government is trying to bully them over the issue of extended hours Dr Laurence BuckmanBritish Medical Association

Mr Johnson wrote to every GP in England after the British Medical Association (BMA), which represents many GPs, rejected a change to their contract.

If a deal is not agreed, the government may allow primary care trusts to commission GP services from other providers, and take thousands of pounds away from existing practice budgets to do so.

The BMA, which disputes the need for longer surgery opening across the country, now plans to poll all its GP membership next month to get its views.

However, the survey suggests that many GPs are unhappy with the deal offered - with two-thirds rejecting it outright, a further 29% accepting it "under protest", and only a tiny minority in favour.

A quarter of those rejecting the deal said that some form of industrial action was needed, while some called for GPs to threaten to resign from NHS work, or withdraw some services.

'Funding slashed'

Dr Laurence Buckman, the chairman of the BMA's GP Committee, said: "We know from reports all over the country that there is huge strength of feeling among GPs about the way the government is trying to bully them over the issue of extended hours.

"They don't think the government's plan is flexible as it does not allow for the differing needs of local populations.

"It means surgeries that choose not to open longer - because local patient surveys have shown no need or desire for extended hours - will still see their practice funding slashed."

A spokesman for the Department of Health said it was "disappointed" that the BMA had not agreed the proposed contract changes.

"The public has consistently told us that improving access to GP services should be a priority for the NHS.

"Last year's GP survey showed that nearly six and a half million patients are still unhappy with the opening hours of their GP practice."