Patients being put at risk from unfilled out-of-hours shifts, GPs warn

Providers of out-of-hours GP services in England have warned that the rising cost of indemnity cover has left them struggling to fill shifts and is putting the care of patients at risk.

GP indemnity costs have soared in recent years, with doctors who work out of hours being particularly affected. The Department of Health admitted last month that indemnity costs could rise even further after the decision of the Ministry of Justice to lower the personal injury discount rate for claimants1 and is locked in talks with the BMA on how to mitigate the decision’s effect on GPs.

Urgent Health UK, a federation of 23 social enterprises that provide GP out-of-hours services to a population of more than 20 million, has reported …