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College chairman Professor Steve Field has voiced concerns that the new GP-led health centres will lack the professional experience to deliver a high standard of GP care.

Professor Field said working in a Darzi centre isn't an 'appropriate' job for a newly-qualified GP without supervision.

'I am worried about appropriate jobs. You can't put new doctors just out of training into Darzi centres. There has to be experience there,' he said.

GPC negotiator Dr Chaand Nagpaul said polyclinics would be unattractive to most GPs and would therefore have to be staffed by 'a different type of GP'.

'Sessional GPs and the GP workforce that is unable to get work elsewhere may well migrate to polyclinics,' he said.

'Established GPs who value the ethos of general practice will find the environment unappealing.'

The DoH has insisted that each health centre will have 'GP services at its core'.

PCTs say that each new surgery serving at least 6,000 patients will be staffed by four GPs, but have released no information so far on the seniority of the GPs.

SHAs are currently signing off the invitations to tender for the new health centres.

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