1,700 surgeries face axe under polyclinics plan

NHS plans for "super-surgeries" could see patients travelling up to four miles to reach their nearest GP.

Analysis by health experts for the Conservative party said the average distance between a person's home and their doctor will triple in many parts of the country as hundreds of surgeries are forced to close to make way for polyclinics.

It claims more than 100 practices are earmarked for closure in London, the first area to reveal plans for the implementation of the clinics. If the proposals are rolled out nationwide, about 1,700 of the 8,700 surgeries in England could shut.

Shadow health secretary Andrew Lansley said: "Gordon Brown has said making GPs more accessible is a vital priority, so why is he pressing ahead with the very opposite?" British Medical Association's GP committee chairman Lawrence Buckman said: "If you look at rural areas, even small increases in distance can be extremely difficult to surmount."

Health Secretary Alan Johnson has insisted that polyclinics will provide a "first-class" health service. He said the centres - which will offer specialist treat-ments under the same roof - will be in addition to surgeries already in existence, but admitted some smaller practices will be merged.

This week the BMA will present the Prime Minister with a petition against the polyclinic proposals signed by tens of thousands of patients.