Indemnity insurance costs 'deter GPs from out-of-hours shifts'
The soaring cost of legal cover means many GPs are limiting the number of out-of-hours shifts they undertake and would consider stopping them altogether if it rose any further.
Urgent Health UK said its survey found GPs are concerned that their clinical indemnity insurance might not provide adequate cover for all their shifts.
Four out of five (79%) said high clinical indemnity premiums are stopping them from taking on out-of-hours shifts, while two thirds (68%) said they would reduce or stop working out-of-hours shifts should clinical indemnity insurance premiums rise any more.
Recent research by GPonline found one in three family doctors said they are paying 20% more now to maintain legal cover than they did five years ago, with one in 10 paying more than £10,000 a year and most (69%) charged at least £5,000.
Urgent Health UK is a federation of 26 social enterprises providing out-of-hospital urgent care.
Its chief executive, Dr John Horrocks, said: "This survey highlights the very difficult position out-of-hours GPs and our members are in.
"Already across the country, many providers of out-of-hours care are struggling to fill rotas due to a range of workforce issues including the high cost of indemnity; we simply cannot afford for this situation to continue, particularly as we head towards the winter period when pressure on services is even greater.
"I am aware that NHS England is looking closely into this crucial issue and I hope urgent action is taken to resolve it."
The poll saw 430 GPs questioned.
More on AOL Money:
NHS could charge patients who miss appointments
Private health 'a con that hurts the NHS'
Husband wins compensation over his wife's surgery
