Hunt's GPs Pledge In Return For Seven-Day Week

Another 10,000 doctors, practice nurses and other health workers will be recruited into general practice to ease waiting times for appointments.

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt said the extra staff would be targeted at areas of England that have struggled to recruit doctors.

Thousands of surgeries will also share £1bn funding "to provide the 21st Century facilities GPs need".

Mr Hunt warned that in return the profession now needs to step forward and provide seven-day appointments for patients.

GP leaders said longer opening hours would be impossible without a "clear and costed plan for turning this into reality".

But Mr Hunt said GPs must do more to keep out of hospital the rising numbers of older patients with complex medical needs.

"Deals have two parties, so I want to be upfront: this is not about change I can deliver on my own," he said in a message to GPs.

"Work together on a new deal and we really can transform the quality of primary and community services for patients, reduce burnout and put the inspiration and magic back into general practice."

Already 2,500 practices, covering 18 million patients, have signed up for seven-day working.

The Department of Health said Sundays are the second busiest day in A&E units, and GPs must "respond to the needs of busy working families" who cannot always take time off for medical appointments.

The Royal College of GPs welcomed the extra resources, but said "large swathes" of the country are struggling to provide even a five-day service.

Dr Maureen Baker, chair of the RCGP, said: "We believe that the emphasis should be on strengthening and better resourcing for existing GP out of hours services, staffed in the main by local GPs - and on ensuring that patients and the public are aware of the services that are available to them so that they can have better access to the skills of a GP 24/7 when they need them."

Dr Mike Smith, chair of the Patients Association, said the most common complaint on its helpline was the long wait for a GP appointment.

He told Sky News: "With an older population who have anxieties and illnesses that don't keep office hours, they need to be able to talk to a health professional.

"At the moment they are bogging down A&E, when two out of five don't need to do that."