GP out-of-hours complaints soar

The number of serious complaints made against GPs over out-of-hours care has soared in recent years, reports the BBC.

Figures show that the two leading family doctor insurance companies, which cover nine out of ten GPs in England, dealt with nearly 300 complaints in 2006.

One of the firms has seen cases triple since a new contract started in 2004.

Patients said it showed the service had got worse and urged Gordon Brown to take action, but doctors said people were more likely to complain now.

Critics of the new GP contract have always maintained that the service has got worse with patients struggling to get through to doctors out-of-hours.

And the latest figures come after Gordon Brown promised to address problems with out-of-hours care on the eve of becoming prime minister.

The Medical Defence Union (MDU) and Medical Protection Society (MPS), which also offer legal advice, only get involved with the most serious and complex cases, such as those that involved deaths, compensation claims or issues that involve the regulatory body, the General Medical Council.

The MPS figures show that officials started dealing with 30 new cases in the UK in 2003 - the last full year under the old system - but by 2006 that had risen to 100.

This was during a period when the overall number of cases about doctors remained steady at around 3,500.

Meanwhile, the MDU dealt with 182 complaints in England last year, up from 120 in 2002.

Stephanie Bown, of the MPS, said doctors are under a lot of pressure dealing with lots of patients "one after another".

Michael Summers, chairman of the Patients Association, said: "These figures are worrying, but not surprising.

"It is quite clear the service has got worse. Patients complain that they cannot get through and we have heard of doctors who have to travel hundreds of miles to see people.

"It was good that Gordon Brown said he would be looking at this issue and we would urge him to act straight away. Out-of-hours care needs more funding."