GPs surgeries open until 8pm every day in Tories' answer to out-of-hours care crisis Labour allowed GPs to opt out of patient care in the evening and weekends Lack of round the clock GP care blamed for soaring A&E attendances A £50million fund will be available to 50 new practices across the country The surgeries will provide consultations over the phone, internet and Skype Will make it easier for patients to see a GP around their work commitments Pledge: David Cameron is to say today that family doctors should open surgeries seven days a week and outside office hours Family doctors should open surgeries seven days a week and outside office hours, David Cameron will say today. The Prime Minister will set out plans for the first wave of surgeries which will be open from 8am to 8pm every day, making it easier for patients who struggle to fit in visits with their family and work commitments. The move is a response to growing concern over the quality of out-of-hours care. Labour allowed GPs to opt out of responsibility for patients outside office hours and at weekends as part of a botched deal which came into force in 2004. Since then, private companies have taken over and in many cases have been forced to employ foreign doctors, many of whom have a poor grasp of English. The Daily Mail has repeatedly highlighted the deterioration in the service since the contract was changed. A poll for this newspaper showed that 60 per cent of Britons believe that out-of-hours care has got worse. Ministers say soaring attendances at over-burdened accident and emergency units have been exacerbated by the failure of doctors to provide a good service around the clock. The Government is now creating a £50million fund that will be available to 50 practices across the country which will open next year. Together, they are expected to cover half a million patients. Ministers say the scheme would then be extended across the country. Response: Mr Cameron's announcement comes amid growing concerns over over the quality of out-of-hours care. The Prime Minister wants surgeries to open between 8am and 8pm As well as seven-day-a-week access and evening opening hours, the new surgeries will also try out services to suit modern lifestyles, such as greater use of Skype, email and phone consultations. They will also offer electronic prescriptions and online booking of appointments, online registration and use the latest technology to enable remote "tele-care" of the elderly and vulnerable. Ministers say they will take a "dim view" of applications for funding from practices which want to cover the extra opening hours with locum GPs. "This is about family doctors finding different ways of working, perhaps with district nurses," said a source. Welcomed move: Chairman of the Royal College of GPs, Dr Clare Gerada, pictured left, welcomed the announcement while Chairman of the National Association of Primary Care, Dr Charles Alessi, pictured right, described the plans as 'exciting' The move will not require a renegotiation of the GP contract, though ministers are already seeking substantial changes to it. Surgeries will be scored on access by the chief inspector of general practice, using Ofsted-style ratings, and ministers say patients will quickly come to expect access outside office hours and at weekends and "vote with their feet" by switching away from surgeries which don't adapt. New surgeries will attempt to accommodate modern life by providing services through Skype, emails and phone consultations Mr Cameron said: "Millions of people find it hard to get an appointment to see their GP at a time that fits in with their work and family life. We want to support GPs to modernise services so they can see patients from 8am to 8pm, seven days a week. We also want greater flexibility, so people can speak to their family doctor on the phone, send them an email or even speak to them on Skype. He said the Government was looking at other ways of easing pressures on A&E, including opening more doctors" surgeries in hospitals. Professor Steve Field, chief inspector of general practice, said: "This move towards seven-day services is great news for patients, and should be embraced by GPs." Dr Charles Alessi, chairman of the National Association of Primary Care, said: "This has the potential to be the most exciting development in primary care in the past decade." Earlier this year, it emerged that doctors were being paid £1,350 a shift to work for Britain's biggest out-of-hours care provider, Harmoni, because managers were so desperate to cover evenings and weekends. Dr Clare Gerada, chairman of the Royal College of GPs, said: "We welcome the announcement of £50million as a small first step towards redressing the massive under-investment that general practice has seen in recent years."