I was amazed by the report entitled "Patients urged to support GPs" (The Press, January 15) It could have read: "GPs fight improved services for patients." This might have been more accurate.

For years GPs have provided surgery opening hours which suited their convenience, requiring any working person to take time off to "fit in" with the hours on offer.

The Government, recognising that this arrangement is not convenient for all patients, have proposed a modest level of flexibility by opening an additional three hours a week on Saturday mornings, or later evening opening. For this GPs will receive additional money on top of their current salaries of £130,000 per year.

It beggars belief that the Jorvik Medical Practice is proposing to ask patients to support a petition opposing this improvement of service to patients. While it is unsurprising that the Local Medical Committee is opposed to any change - what's new there? - to suggest that patients will suffer is a total distortion of the truth.

I would just remind GPs that this Government is committed to a patient-centred National Health Service, not one dictated by professionals. After all, who pays their salaries?

Bob Towner, Hobgate, York.


* In reaction to articles over the last two days on ambulance response times and the concerns of GPs about seeing patients outside normal working hours, readers may want to ask themselves a few questions and note that:

The ambulance service is available 24-hours-a-day, seven-days-a-week, 365-days-a-year. It is staffed by highly committed personnel who have worked hard to update their practice, bring in new technologies and experiment with new ways of working to ensure that patients receive the best care.

The British Medical Association (BMA) is a very powerful union which exists to protect the interests of doctors. The Royal College of General Practitioners is the professional body for GPs and it is working with the Health Minister to ensure that GPs are available "out-of-hours" when patients need them. There are good examples of GPs collaborating with the primary health care team to ensure good care for patients and carers in the community when it is needed.

So, may I suggest that instead of writing to your local MP, patients get in touch with their GP or the Local Medical Committee and ask if they have a patients' forum so that they can listen to patients and carers about the services they want.

Patients can also ask for the evidence to justify the alarming claims made by the BMA that patients will be put at risk by the proposal for their members to work an average of an extra three hours per week.

There has been major Labour Government investment in GPs' salaries, and it is for patients to decide how best this investment can serve them.

Coun Tina Funnell, Chair, health overview and scrutiny committee, City of York Council, Upper Price Street, York.