In an unprecedented show of unification, General Practioners from all surgeries in Rugby will hold a protest next Saturday (March 8) against plans for large centralised 'Polyclinics'.

They met recently at an 'emotional and stormy' meeting and stated that the Government initiative could mean the end of GP surgeries in Rugby.

Dr. John Derrick, of the Westside Medical Centre in Corporation Street, told the Advertiser at the beginning of the month that the future of General Practice was at stake, and this week he said: "There was a lot of anger at the meeting that the plans would essentially abolish General Practice surgeries in Rugby.

"We will carry on making the case that General Practices are valued and better than distant and untried Polyclinics, and encourage patients to carry on fighting with us. I have never known all the GPs in Rugby to be so united on one issue."

Doctors will be in the town centre between 10am-12noon next Saturday (March 8) to raise awareness of the situation.

They believe the Polyclinics will take funding away from surgeries and lead to job losses.

However, Government officials claim the centralised clinics will provide more extensive facilities.

The plans come alongside a proposal to extend doctors' working hours.

Dr. Lesli Davies, of Clifton Road Surgery and organiser of the protest, said: "The Government is using extended hours as a smokescreen to hide their plans to sell off general practice to big businesses and continue the process of privatising the NHS.

"GPs are willing to provided services in the evening and at weekends.

"This deal was turned down by Number 10, and replaced with one which will see resources transferred from day time services to evenings, and which also decreases investment in quality.

"The Government is also threatening to take away resources from established modern family services to give money to private companies to set up.

"Polyclinics will be large impersonal clinics owned and run by private companies, whose loyalty will always be to shareholders first and not patients. Current general practice is continually shown to be cost-effective and delivers high quality.

"I am disappointed that the Government gives contracts to companies with scarce regard to the quality of patient care."