Hewitt pressures GPs over hours

By Nick Triggle
BBC News, health reporter

The health secretary wants GPs to react to patient demand

Health Secretary Patricia Hewitt has cranked up the pressure on GPs in England to extend their opening hours.

She said there was significant dissatisfaction over access and warned GPs they could lose out on money if they did not respond to patient demand.

The government is due to publish a poll of more than 2m patients, but she said there was no doubt commuters wanted early morning and evening opening.

GPs said extending opening hours would mean cutting back on day-time care.

In an interview with the BBC News website, Ms Hewitt hinted that the results of the £11m survey - one of the largest of its kind - would make uncomfortable reading for some doctors.

"What has been clear for the last year or so is that although the great majority of patients are very happy with their GP and happy with being able to get access to their GP practice, there is a significant minority who are not happy.

If you are serving an area with a lot of commuters there is no doubt that early morning opening and late evening opening is what a lot of your patients will want Health Secretary Patricia Hewitt

"They can't get through on the telephone on time or can't get an appointment when they need one.

"We will shortly be publishing results of that survey and then money will duly flow to the majority where patients are satisfied and not to the minority where patients are not satisfied.

"That in itself and the fact that information will be published practice by practice will help drive improvements. It challenges the minority of practices that are not meeting their patients needs to do better.

"If you are serving an area with a lot of commuters there is no doubt that early morning opening and late evening opening is what a lot of your patients will want."

Her comments come after Chancellor Gordon Brown promised to look at increasing access to GP care during evening and weekends when he becomes prime minister later this month.

Doctors were able to opt out of evening and weekend care under a new contract in 2004.

The deal also saw their income rise by a third in just a year and break through the £100,000 barrier.

Performance

Government negotiators agreed with doctors last year that the patient survey could be used to judge their performance on access.

It is a part of the contract which is worth £8,000 on average to GP practices.

Patients groups agreed there was a demand for longer opening hours.

Michael Summers, chairman of the Patients Association, said: "It is something many do want and we would like to see doctors respond to that.

"The NHS should be more flexible to the needs of patients."

But Dr Hamish Meldrum, chairman of the British Medical Association, said it would not be possible to provide extended opening without cutting back elsewhere.

"It is not just about having a GP in a practice. You also need reception staff, nurses and access to blood tests.

"That means cutting back on services at other times or putting more investment in, but the government never seems to acknowledge this."