Cornish GPs' fury at planned cuts

Family doctors say lives could be put at risk by planned cuts to Cornwall's out of hours service.

The warning comes in a motion being debated by local GPs at a conference.

Doctors say the government needs to provide better funding and additional changes to out of hours cover in the county.

The Department of Health said nationally the arrangements were requested by GPs and are actually providing improvements in care.

Since the 1990s overnight cover by family doctors in Cornwall has been met by Kernowdoc - a company which was originally formed as a co-operative when individual GP practices were responsible for providing the cover.

If they are cut back to say three or four cars for financial reasons I think that could be profoundly unsafe Dr Andy Stewart

Now the private company says it will have to make cuts because of the budget given to it directly by the NHS.

Dr Philip Trevail, from the company, said: "We are aware, of course, that primary care trusts are facing financial constraints and we are looking at cutting resources where they're not needed.

"But, of course, we're monitoring the effect that's having.

"There will be an increasing use of other clinicians and it may well be we shan't be using be the same number of GPs as we have been."

'Scattered population'

The changes have been raised in a motion by Cornish GPs and are being discussed at a London conference of family doctors hosted by the British Medical Association.

Some local GPs said lives could be at risk.

East Cornwall GP Dr Andy Stewart said: "In a rural area like Cornwall we have six cars covering the whole county with a doctor and a driver in each car.

"That addresses the difficult geography and the scattered population.

"If those are cut back to say three or four cars for financial reasons I think that could be profoundly unsafe."