Dr Buckman's letter.

GPC chairman Dr Laurence Buckman wrote to LMCs over reports blaming GPs for out-of-hours failings. Below is an edited extract:

This week has seen yet another attempt to rewrite history: a disgraced German 'plastic surgeon and GP' comes over here, works for a company created in the light of the DoH's commercialised NHS and kills someone - and UK GPs in general, and GPC in particular, are 'to blame'. Others have tried to set the record straight; here is my contribution.

The new GMS contract was born out of necessity. We agonised over the consequences, but it remains clear that most GPs do not want to give a 24-hour commitment and were exhausted from trying.

…