GPs revolt over call to open seven days a week

GPs are in revolt over Government plans for them to offer patients appointments seven days a week.

Almost all family doctors polled in a new survey said they do not think their own practice should open on weekends.

And nearly two-thirds are not even willing to consider forming groups with other surgeries to ensure that at least one in the area is open to patients on Saturdays and Sundays.

The Government has tried to encourage GPs to offer out-of-hours appointments through a scheme known as the Prime Minister’s Challenge Fund, launched in 2013.

Surgeries have been urged to form into groups of 20 to 30 to ensure that between them at least one stays open in the evenings and at weekends.

The results of early trials published last month showed that among 34 practices taking part in the scheme in Central London, the number of patients going to A&E dropped by between 8 and 10 per cent.

But a survey of 15,560 GPs by their union, the British Medical Association, found 63 per cent were opposed to forming networks with other surgeries to open seven days a week.

Some 94 per cent were against their own practice opening every day. Just 2 per cent were in favour, while the remainder didn’t know.

The survey also found that 67 per cent want to make the standard ten minute appointment longer to give them more time to properly care for patients. And 93 per cent said their heavy workload has negatively affected patient care.

This is mainly because they do not have the staff or the resources to provide appointments to the increasing numbers seeking them.

Dr Chaand Nagpaul, chairman of the BMA’s GP Committee, said: ‘GPs want to provide better services and spend more time with their patients, especially the increasing number of older people who often have a range of multiple health needs that require

‘Struggling to provide basic care’

intensive, coordinated care. Unfortunately, this landmark poll highlights that GPs’ ability to care for patients is being seriously undermined by escalating workload, inadequate resourcing and unnecessary paperwork.

‘While there is a willingness from GPs to look at offering extended hours, more than nine in ten GPs do not feel that their practice can provide blanket seven day services when GPs are struggling to provide even basic care to their patients.

‘GPs also feel it is more important to provide longer consultations.’