British Prime Minister Theresa May has vowed to push ahead with a 7-day GP services to take pressure off A&E departments.
Some GPs in England have been warned they could lose extra funding if they fail to meet their commitments to keeping surgeries open for longer hours.
The government wants surgeries to open between 08:00 and 20:00, seven days a week, unless they can prove the demand is not there. It said many patients were going to hard-pressed A&E departments as they could not get GP appointments.
However, doctors' groups have hit back at PM May, accusing her of trying to “scapegoat” GPs.
Surgeries are currently expected to open between the core hours of 08:00 and 18:30, Monday to Friday.
Extra funding is available to those offering appointments outside those hours.
Nearly half – 46 per cent – of GP surgeries were still closing at some point during “core” weekday working hours, according to a recent finding by the National Audit Office. This was in spite of three-quarters of them having received extra funding to provide extended cover.
Almost half of hospitals declared states of alert last week as they failed to cope with rising numbers of patients.
Downing Street said surgeries should do more to ensure they offered appointments in the evening and at weekends.
