Response to requests for general practice out of hours: geographical analysis in north west England

The organisation of out of hours general practice (GP) in the UK has changed rapidly in recent years as practice based rotas and deputising services have given way to GP cooperatives in many areas. At the same time, the proportion of patients contacting an out of hours service who receive telephone advice only, rather than a face to face consultation, has risen substantially, although patients continue to express strong preferences for personal contact with a doctor out of hours. We examined the effect of the distance of the patient from the primary care centre on the doctor’s decision to see the patient face to face.