FEARS that a new all-night GP visiting service will result in doctors too tired to work during the day, have been dismissed by Burnley council chiefs.

Some 25 Burnley and Pendle GPs have set up their own out-of-hours rota and are also bidding for £200,000 Department of Health cash to build a new "open all hours" doctors' surgery close to the M65.

The new co-operative is, however, in direct competition with an existing service providing out-of-hours home visits for GPs surgeries by locum doctors for cash.

And critics say the two groups should combine to offer an even better service in the district.

Councillors in Burnley will discuss the situation at their policy committee meeting tomorrow and a report states that some concern has been expressed over the potential for doctors in the new set-up to work all night on call, and then have to return to their normal surgeries the same morning.

But council officers state: "So far as the issue of tired doctors is concerned, the scheme put forward by the Burnley and Pendle Medical Co-operative is specifically designed to improve the present arrangements by involving more doctors in the out-of-hours rota."

It adds: "There is no question of doctors going straight back to their practices after being involved in out-of-hours service."

Councillors are being asked to decide whether they support the co-operative's all-night surgery bid.

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