Dr Williams says he cannot cope with 24-hour demands

Dr Barney Williams says he can no longer cope with the demands of 24-hour a day cover and the primary care trust says that puts him in breach of his contract.

Kennet and North Wiltshire Primary Healthcare Trust (PCT) has now issued the GP with a closure notice at his Marshfield Road surgery, as a result.

The PCT says patients will get alternative care if the practice closes, but the move has left many feeling upset that they will lose a doctor they trust.

"It means that I would probably have to go to another town to another surgery to someone that doesn't know me," one said.

The local GP co-operative has - rather grudgingly - taken on the responsibility to provide the out-of-hours care for Dr Williams' patients.

Barbara Smith: Contingency plans in place

In a statement it said: "The co-operative agreed to assist the PCT, although it is important to state this was not a service we wished to provide."

Dr Williams said: "If they shut us down, they are going to do what?

"Put a Portakabin at the hospital with a doctor in it - he's not going to provide 24-hour cover, 365 days of the year.

"Are they going to allocate those patients to other doctors - an extra 400 patients for every doctor in the town?

Because those doctors are already saying it's two weeks' wait for a routine appointment, here it's same-day appointments."

Opt out

Originally, Marshfield Road surgery was to close at the end of March.

Now the PCT is extending the contract and taking the dispute to arbitration at the Department of Health.

Barbara Smith, Chief Executive of Kennet and North Wilts PCT said: "Should the practice then terminate as a result of the arbitration, then we will ensure that all of the patients do get full 24-hour a day cover.

"We do have contingency plans in place."

New GP contracts being introduced within the next year will allow doctors to opt out of out-of-hours care.