Cost of out of hours care was 22% higher than predicted in England

doi:10.1136/bmj.332.7550.1113-c

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Adrian O'Dowd

London

The £392m (€570m; $730m) cost of providing out of hours primary care last year in England was 22% higher than anticipated by the government, a report has shown.

The cost and quality of out of hours care since GPs opted out of their 24 hour responsibility have been questioned in a report published last week by the government's spending watchdog, the National Audit Office.

The report found shortcomings in the setting up in 2004 of new arrangements to provide out of hours care. And although no evidence was found that …