MPs back 7 day-a-week "super-surgery"

10 March 2008

Plans for a town centre 7 day a week doctor's surgery has received the support of local MPs.

The plan is opposed by some local doctors, but is welcomed by the Doncaster Primary Care Trust that plans local NHS services in the interests of patients.

Rosie Winterton said: "A new GP surgery, located in the heart of my constituency and open to any patient in the Borough 7 days a week can only improve access to GP services. Doctors can bid to run the new surgery. It is misleading and worrying for patients to imply that they will not be able to continue to use their own surgery."

Ed Miliband said: "The new GP-led surgery open 12 hours a day planned for the town centre is the next step in patient access. Some areas, like Wakefield and Leeds already have NHS walk-in centres located near shopping centres. They have proved a very popular NHS service."

Caroline Flint said: "The claim that the new super GP-led surgery will lead to privatisation of GP surgeries is nonsense. The relationship between people and their local GP is unchanged. Not one GP practice is being changed. But a new free NHS town centre
GP-led practice is going to open. That can only be good, and local GPs are free to bid to run it."

Said Jeff Ennis: "The Mexborough Dental Access Centre in my constituency has proved very popular. And NHS walk in centres received over 2 million visitors last year. This new GP surgery is a free NHS service open even on Saturdays and Sundays. Why anyone would oppose this is a mystery to me."

The MPs said that the local GPs used to work together as a co-operative to run the out of hours GP call out service, known as Danum Doctors. Although they chose to stop providing that service, they are free to bid to run the new town centre surgery.

The MPs insist that for NHS patients, seeing their GP or visiting the new surgery remains a free NHS service and will always remain so under a Labour Government.

The latest national polls show 64% of patients welcome the opportunity to visit a GP in the evening or at weekends. Experts says this is particularly welcomed by patients who do not want to take time off work to visit their GP or parents who do not want their child to miss school to see the family doctor.