GPs to opt out of night visits

Thousands of doctors across the country are set to abandon out-of-hours visits to patients under new contracts coming into effect next spring.

A survey of GPs shows eight out of 10 will refuse to work oncall at night and at weekends after contracts change in April.

Patients may be forced to turn to hospital accident and emergencydepartments and daytime surgeries, which will face overwhelming pressure as a result.

There is also concern that nurses and paramedics will be drafted in - despite the fact that only GPs can diagnose many lifethreatening conditions.

The new NHS contracts, voted for by doctors earlier this year, will set out new standard working hours of 8am to 6.30pm, five days a week. GPs will be allowed to give up providing emergency cover at night and at weekends.

Responsibility would pass to Britain's 303 local primary care trusts, who could choose to send nurses or paramedics where GPs were not available. The research, by doctors.net.uk, involved 3,000 GPs from 950 practices.

Health Minister John Hutton last month announced an extra £28 million for primary care trusts to ensure they will cope after the contract changes.

But many NHS experts believe that if GPs opt out in droves the money will not be enough to stem a crisis in primary care.