Patients can sign on at two surgeries

London: Patients will soon be able to sign on at two general practitioner (GP) surgeries - one near home and the other close to their workplace - under Government plans to cut the number of working days lost to visits.

At present, patients can only sign on at one practice, and normally do so close to home. Because GP surgeries are open from 8am to 6.30pm, many are forced to take time off work.

Health Minister Professor Sir Ara Darzi is now launching a consultation involving 1,000 patients and doctors to discuss "dual registration" and was yesterday outlining plans to the Cabinet.

A senior government source said: "What we want to avoid is someone having to take half a day off work to have their blood pressure checked."

Under the plans devised with Health Secretary Alan Johnson, eight "citizens' juries" will be consulted to gauge how far the National Health Service needs to change.

Pressure has come from the Confederation of British Industry which says that 3.5 million working days are wasted each year by employees waiting in surgeries, at an annual cost to the economy of £1 billion (Dh74 billion).

Sir Ara was set to outline how GP surgeries across England will face competition from health centres run by private companies, including Sir Richard Branson's Virgin group. Sir Ara has convened a conference of NHS trusts, charities and private companies to work out how patients could access GP services near their place of work or gym during the day, or close to their homes during evenings and weekends.

The Department of Health said it had already agreed to a request from Virgin to describe its proposed new outlets as "health centres".

Boots and Lloyds pharmacy have also said they are interested in challenging the traditional service run by local GP partnerships.