Royal College expresses concern over transfer of out of hours GP services

Professor David Haslam, chairman of the council of the Royal College of General Practitioners, has expressed concerns to the parliamentary health select committee over the “potential crisis” in GP out of hours services when responsibility for night and weekend cover is transferred to primary care trusts on 31 December.

Commenting on the readiness of primary care trusts for their new role, Professor Haslam said, “I think there is a general underestimation of the complexity of what goes on in an out of hours consultation.”

Dr Mark Reynolds, chairman of the National Association of GP Co-operatives, voiced similar concerns: “People in primary care trusts are taking this job on with no experience of it and …