CLAIMS that some doctors providing out-of-hours care are being replaced with less qualified nurses and other workers have been dismissed by Worcestershire health leaders.

A national survey of 50 primary care organisations across the country found that 19 had already cut the number of doctors they employed out of hours - some by as much as 50 per cent - replacing them with cheaper staff.

A further 10 were reviewing their emergency cover with a view to reducing the number of GPs that they had, the survey for Pulse magazine said.

But a spokesman for Worcestershire Primary Care Trust said there are currently no plans to reduce the number of GPs operating in the service in the county.

He said: "The GP out-of-hours service was hosted by South Worcestershire PCT from December 2003.

"Before that, about six co-operatives operated across the county, with the number of local GPs providing cover varying in each co-operative.

"Now, for the whole of Worcestershire, during weekdays there are about five GPs from 6.30pm until midnight, then three GPs from midnight to 8am.

"During weekends there are up to 10 GPs during the daytime and evenings and three GPs during the midnight to 8am shift.

"Changes were made to the service during 2005, resulting in the changes above, in order to increase efficiency while still meeting Department of Health targets."

He said recent changes have seen an expansion in phone lines from 15 to 60 to ensure people who contact the out-of-hours service get through quickly and efficiently.

"We are one of a handful of trusts in the country where nurses pick up the phone directly, which is far better than a call-back system where patients could wait hours for a response," he said.

"There are currently no plans to reduce the number of GPs operating in the service, and we are currently reviewing the way out-of-hours services are delivered across the county."

Last month, an influential group of MPs condemned Government preparations for the out-of-hours service as "shambolic".

The handover of care from doctors to primary care trusts in 2004 was riddled with flaws, the House of Commons public accounts committee said.