A WORCESTERSHIRE doctor who has been stabbed and faced a patient brandishing a gun, has concerns about the safety of staff working extended hours.

Dr Simon Parkinson, medical secretary for the Local Medical Committee, says security has not been thought through by the Government over plans to open surgeries at weekends and evenings.

Dr Parkinson was punched then stabbed in the arm with a scalpel by a patient when he was in his final year as a medical student at East Birmingham Hospital, now the Birmingham Heartlands Hospital, in the winter of 1982.

More recently he has seen attacks on doctors, nurses and a receptionist at his own surgery - St Stephen's Surgery in Redditch.

He says Government plans to open later and at weekends with a reduced staff will increase the risk of such attacks.

Dr Parkinson, who represents the interests of the county's 450 GPs, did not have figures for the number of attacks faced by doctors.

He added: "I'm concerned about the risk of assaults on my staff. A patient tried to pull my receptionist over the counter not so long ago.

"We even had a patient barricading a doctor and nurse into a treatment room because they wanted drugs.

"Most doctors and nurses have seen significant episodes of violence and if they haven't they will have experienced verbal abuse.

"This risk increases with extended hours - you're open when it's quieter and there's not so many people around. The Government doesn't give a damn about the security implications."

The British Medical Association accepted Government plans to extend their hours in February - the average practice will be expected to open three hours extra a week.

The BMA said the deal was less damaging than the deal the Government would impose if doctors did not accept.

Dr Parkinson is waiting for more clarification from Government before introducing extended hours at his surgery. He is expected to open six and a half hours a week extra.

But Dr Parkinson said the security implications would hit doctors and the new 8am-8pm "super surgery" in Worcester.

He says the surgery, costing up to £1million a year to run, could face similar problems as A&E departments like the one at Worcestershire Royal Hospital where staff experienced eight physical attacks between January last year and March this year.

Michael Foster, MP for Worcester, said: "No one should take concerns like this lightly.

"It's important members of the medical profession feel safe when dealing with patients. But I don't think, with all respect to Dr Simon Parkinson, that you can argue not to extend on the back of concerns like this."