EAST Lancashire doctors today raised fears new requirements for them to serve on juries could disrupt patient care and cause GPs severe financial problems.

Following law changes last month, doctors are now no longer automatically exempt from the service.

All registered electors in England and Wales aged 18 to 70 are eligible and must serve, unless they suffer from a mental illness or have been convicted of a criminal offence.

Doctors will have to put forward reasons why they should be excused from serving to the Jury Central Summoning Bureau, in London, on an individual basis but exemptions will only be granted in very exceptional circumstances.

Today, Blackburn GP Dr Malcolm Ridgway said: "While not wanting to shirk one's civic duty, whenever I am asked to give evidence in court it is incredibly disruptive to my work in the surgery.

"Arranging locum cover is next to impossible and very expensive - up to £500 per day.

"A long case could lead to severe financial problems for some GPs, particularly those in small practices

"Also my patients do not stop being ill just because I am serving on a jury. If the Government can guarantee adequate locum cover for my patients and pay for it, then I would love to serve on a jury."

Dr James Robertson, chairman of the East Lancashire Local Medical Council, also raised concerns about the potential impact on doctors.

He said: "GPs are very good people to sit on a jury as we probably see a wider cross section of people than anybody else. But you don't get expenses for jury duty and would have to employ a locum, if you could get one.

"In a big practice you could probably manage but individual doctors would have problems.

"It could genuinely affect patient care, which seems ironic when the Government claims to be improving the health service."