Out of hours care criticised

Doctors visit just one in 50 patients who request an out of hours visit by their GP in some parts of the country, a review of care has found.

Major variations in the quality of out of hours care across the country mean that in the best areas one in four patients will receive a home visit if they call for a doctor at night or over weekends.

The figures emerged as Health Secretary Andy Burnham was forced to admit that out-of-hours care is ‘unacceptable’ in many regions.

The study, which compares the quality of health services provided by all of England’s Primary Care Trusts (PCTs), has disclosed “gaping holes” in the out-of-hours provision.

It shows huge variations in the quality of care across the country, although none of the trusts are named.

According to the research, in the worst performing trust, only 2 per cent of patients saw a GP out of hours. The best performing trust saw 25 per cent of patients receive out of hours care.

Meanwhile, the number of patients given only a telephone diagnosis also varied between 20 and 70 per cent.

The study also shows that many PCTs are failing to respond quickly enough to urgent calls.

Critics have blamed the poor levels of cover on an opt out introduced in 2004 whereby GPS can waver their responsibility to care for patients outside of practice opening hours. However the government denies this is the case.

Michael Summers, of the Patients’ Association, told the Daily Mail: ‘It is simply not good enough. The Department of Health recognises that PCTs have a legal duty to provide a safe service, but for a long time they have not done so.

‘It’s disgraceful that we have this situation where PCTs just hand over responsibility to an agency and think, “We’re paying, so they can sort it out”.

‘It is most distressing for patients - especially if they are elderly or if they have young children - to find they have to wait indefinitely for a visit, or else end up through frustration in A&E.’

A spokesman for the Department of Health said: ‘PCTs have a legal obligation to ensure safe, high quality out-of-hours services are available to their local population.

‘It is the responsibility of PCTs and their out- of-hours providers to assess the needs of their local population and decide the appropriate level of staffing for their area based on factors such as the time of day or night, historic demand and whether the location is urban or rural.’