I believe that these practices are expected to be run by private companies, and the doctors employed by them may well be their employees, and therefore answerable to their shareholders, not the NHS.

I am therefore worried that a private general practice will have the interests of its shareholders at heart more than its patients.

I am also worried that they will use doctors with less training, and who have no knowledge of a patient's previous medical history, thus reducing the quality of care for those patients.

There is also the question of funding, which I believe will be diverted from practices like my own to these private ones.

I am well aware that all current GPs are independent contractors, but believe that they are an integrated part of the NHS, and therefore put the interests of their patients at the heart of their work, which is something I feel a private company would not do.

I would be grateful if you could find space to print my views, so that others can be made aware of the Government's plans, and a healthy discussion can take place regarding this matter.

Mr I White
High Street
Hatfield