DOCTORS have voiced fears about plans to extend surgery opening hours.

GPs in Colchester have warned Government proposals to open surgeries at evenings and weekends are inflexible and could compromise patient care.

Dr Wright, of the North East Essex local medical committe, said although most doctors wanted to be more accessible, forcing them to work 12-hour days was not the answer and could affect the quality of service.

"Health has changed a lot and there is a degree of demand for more access.

"Having said that there won't be any more GPs so we will be spreading ourselves even thinner," he said.

"I don't know if it will mean taking consulting time away from the middle of the day, but I can't say I would like to work from 8.15am to 8pm without some sort of break."

He called for more flexibility to meet the area's different demands.

"I'm sure there will be some practices which have quite a high commuter proportion who find it difficult to see a doctor in working hours, but if you go out to the coast to Clacton or Frinton you have a much larger retired population and their needs can be much different - so there has to be some flexibility," he added.

The British Medical Association accepted plans to extend surgery opening times by three hours a week on Friday, but only agreed to it after ministers threatened to fine practices which refused to comply.

The Government says the new hours will make GPs more accessible to the working population.