DOCTORS from 24 Oxford GP surgeries last night warned a controversial shake-up of the NHS will harm patient care.

In a letter to the Oxford Mail, the medical professionals confirmed their opposition to the Health and Social Care Bill.

In what is being heralded as the biggest change to the NHS in its 60 year history, the Bill gives GPs and other clinicians more responsibility for spending the NHS budget in England.

It will see local Primary Care Trusts dismantled by 2013 and the responsibilities taken up by local commissioning groups of health care professionals.

The provision of healthcare will also be opened up to ‘any willing provider’ including the private sector and charities.

The Government claims the changes are desperately needed, but in the letter, the Oxford City Locality Commissioning Group spoke out against the change, which is expected to become law within weeks.

It said: “The vast majority of the GPs involved in the Oxford City Locality Commissioning Group want to make it clear to all political parties and the general public that whilst we support clinical commissioning we are opposed to the Health and Social Care Bill.

“Being involved in clinical commissioning does not equate with support for the Bill as some politicians have tried to claim.

“We believe that the Bill may harm patient care by reducing the NHS spirit of co-operation and increasing a competitive market of health care which may lead to fragmentation of care.

“The Bill is likely to increase costs and bureaucracy. If services fail this may lead to reduced access, greater inequity and reduced quality of health care.”

Doctors in Oxfordshire were among the first in the country to pledge their support for the Bill and sign up to become a ‘pathfinder’ GP consortium last January.

Goring GP Dr Stephen Richards was the only GP to allow his name to go forward for an election to lead the county through the biggest NHS reform for decades.