MARLOW NHS GP Chris North has defended his decision to set up a private out-of-hours surgery following a complaint from one of his patients.

Dr North and Dr James Morrow, also based at the Victoria Road surgery, had set up the out-of-hours surgery at Bon Secours Hospital in Beaconsfield to cater for the hectic lives of commuters.

But one angry patient, who asked not to be named because he is a patient at the surgery, wrote to the Marlow Free Press saying it appeared the doctors had identified a gap in the market and were filling it to earn extra money.

The patient said this was 'cynical and hypocritical' and suggested the head of the Marlow surgery should respond to the needs of patients and launch its own NHS extra hours service in competition with two of his own doctors.

Dr North responded: "I am not going to comment on questions about Marlow. They have to be addressed to the practice. All I can say is we are putting in our own time to this. We far exceed our contractual hours. If he thinks we are going to make a buck, that is certainly not the case at the moment."

Dr James Hayter, head of the Marlow practice, said: "It is nothing to do with the practice as such. It is two individuals working in the private sector outside their contracted hours.

"Our hours are 8am to 6pm - a great deal longer hours than we are contracted to work. The building is open from 8am to 7pm."

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