Take back out-of-hours? I'd rather bang nails into my skull

I am a bit puzzled over Copperfield's reaction to this. Since hardly any GPs actually covered their own OOH before the new 'contract' the major benefit to GPs was that the deduction made was less than the amount they were currently paying for OOH cover. He is right, of course, that the goalposts have been moved a fair bit but so has the perception of the cost. All that said I doubt if many GPs would want to consider taking OOH back at under 30K pa given that many if them may be paying well over 50% tax on it. Michael Blackmore

It's not only GPs who don't want to see a return to the old ways. I regularly had to pass on calls to tired and grumpy (occasionally downright unpleasant) GPs in the middle of the night. It was a few years before I realised that 'arsey GP' was a set of intials. Elena

I think Copperfield has it spot on. The Conservatives may be intending to try to force the OOH genie back into the bottle, but I don't think there'll be many GP turkeys voting for Christmas. Michael Blackmore thinks 30K to take back OOH? Not for any money. Ross Worthington

The doctor picked up his leather consulting bag which was stuffed with beautifully handcrafted instruments. He kissed his wife and blonde haired children and headed off, wearing a crisply ironed shirt, into the gloom. He was to sit by flickering candle-light next to a sickly child, mopping her feverish brow and perusing his materia medica into the early hours. He was austere, his face lined with years of fatherly concern and he performed his 'art' with unhurried gravitas. The reality of out of hours is a little different. It's a modern day monster, flabby, hairy, consumerist and many-bellied. It belches, pukes and heaves its pasty fornicating body to the nearest drop in centre where it vomits its petulant demands onto the laps of the 'public servants'. If it could have 'drive-through' medicine for even greater convenience it would!. Its expectation of the world is that everything should be in farting distance (and certainly no further away than its pendulous tits) and that on no account should anything even vaguely annoy it... ever. Would you like fries with that you fat b*****d? Kev

Retired so will not be invoved; but what a mess the present goverment has made of OOH. How long will European medics be able to kill Britons while here we will struggle with revalidation and our Antipodean and SA medics must jump through hoops. john veitch

Take back OOH responsibility? I had an excellent job and good conditions in a country with a very high standard of living. Only one promise made me leave my own culture and come to the UK: the firm expectation of being able to opt out of hours responsibility. Should this promise ever be broken again, I would have no intention at all of keeping working as a GP in Britain - a job which I have truly been enjoying for the last 6 years! Never again will I even negotiate with anyone about weekend or night duties in any medical area - neither would my family accept it. Bert Martens, Salaried General Practitioner Bert Martens

This is the first time Copperfield has done more than had me laughing my **se off!. The public deficit at its highest in generations, a tougher budget and fiscal strangling on the way with an election public to schmooze: how much of a choice does anyone think we will have if the next Government thinks it needs us to take back OOH and save money at the same time? And wait for the deafening silence (or even applause) from the RCGP and BMA! We're doomed I tell ye! MATHEW

The chances of persuading GPs to take back OOH are negligible. Politically I think there will be the same discussions/arguements whoever is in charge. In our current admiration of Europe, home visiting and OOH seem to be a minority sport. The current emergency system has been politically inspired and is unworkable. Let's see what else the government can ruin. dp pelta

Copperfiled is entirely right. No-one in their right minds would go back to 24 hour responsibility... why should it be entertained at all since even in the original days of the NHS it did not make sense trying to run a 'caring' service 24 hours a day... it just can't be done by the same or any sane doctor. You need and always will need 2 separate organisations to run 24 hour care... the reason it's a mess is that the current system is not funded and never was funded properly by a greedy Government who thought they could get away with it on the cheap... they never appreciated the sort of service which we had been providing over the previous 40 years... we controlled demand and out-of-hours was for genuine emergencies not the rubbish which is seen these days... we can NEVER return to those days since now unfortunately we have the 24 hour society which is encouraged to abuse the service by a Government which makes political gain by exaggerating various medical issues viz the latest swine flu pandemic debacle to try an attain 'fashionable' cheap vote catching...etc etc... Wynne Jones

Let me guess, Elena, you are not a GP nor are you really aware of what 24 hour responsibilty is like but you think we are overpaid and underworked. You should not be working in the health service with that attitude. toby