NHS bosses have stressed that they are working with North-East GPs to ensure that that national changes to funding arrangements can be managed so that services for patients are maintained or improved.

The reassurance from Christine Keen, director of commissioning for NHS England in the North-East and Cumbria followed protests from a leading North-East GP - Dr Bill Beeby from Middlesbrough – that the changes would adversely hit the ability of North-East family doctors to provide enhanced out-of-hours services to patients.

Dr Beeby, who represents GPs in County Durham and Cleveland on the British Medical Association’s national GP committee, said the changes to GP funding agreed in the last few weeks would cost his practice the equivalent of three-quarters of a GP’s pay at a time when doctors are being pressured to improve access to patients.

His concern was echoed by Dr Richard Vautrey, deputy chairman of the national GP committee of the British Medical Association, who said it was “nonsense” to reduce funding while expecting GPs to extend opening hours.

But Ms Keen stressed that the funding changes were part of a move to “equitable funding” for all primary medical services contracts across England.

This followed an announcement by the coalition Government in October 2012 that GP practices would face a reshaping of practice funding to ensure a fairer share of resources.

Ms Keen said after local discussions with NHS partners across the region some GP practices had been offered the option of a seven year adjustment process rather than four years.

She stressed that all resources released through this process “will be reinvested into general medical services locally.”

The NHS regional boss pointed out that there has recently been additional investment in primary care across the North-East through the Prime Minister’s Challenge Fund with extended opening pilot schemes approved in Darlington, South Tees and Gateshead.