DOCTORS across Dorchester are joining forces to protest at Government moves to create polyclinics in place of GP surgeries.

They fear commercial pressures would damage the quality of health care and patients would be unhappy with the way polyclinics would be run.

Surgeries across the county town are urging people to sign a mass petition in the form of birthday cards designed to mark this year's 60th anniversary of the NHS. Hundreds of people have already signed at each surgery to pledge their support.

The GPs from the Cornwall Road, Queen's Avenue, Trinity Street, Prince of Wales and Fordington surgeries expect to have thousands of names by the time the petition closes on Friday.

They will forward the Dorchester petitions to the British Medical Assoc-iation as part of a national campaign to persuade the government to drop proposals to bring in large centres or polyclinics to take over services offered by GP surgeries.

Dr Graham Francis, senior partner at Queens Avenue Surgery, said: "I believe that patients really appreciate the quality and continuity of care they receive from doctors and nurses who they trust, having known them over many years.

"Provision by alternative organisations is likely to fragment care with consulting a different doctor on each occasion becoming much more likely.

"The quality of general practice in Dorset is very good and surveys have shown patients here to be highly satisfied with local services."

He said the petition would be sent on to Downing Street. "I think it might influence them and it would be helpful in showing patients' views."

Dr Charles Campion-Smith of the Cornwall Road Surgery, said: "People are aware that some government-backed initiatives such as polyclinics are not appropriate for this area and will threaten the personal style of general practice.

"Inviting commercial organisations to run general practice is unlikely to be good for patients in the long run - their business is to make money for their shareholders by providing services as cheaply as possible."

Dr Francis said people could call in at surgeries to sign the petitions during opening hours - they don't need to be patients visiting for appointments.

Carole Lawrence-Parr, director of strategic development for Dorset Primary Care Trust, said: "Dorset Primary Care Trust is committed to developing health services that are accessible, convenient, personal and as close to peoples' homes as practical."

She said there was already an instance in Dorchester of two surgeries relocating to share one new building in Poundbury.

She added that the PCT's approach was to tailor new services to local circumstances by building on the good range of services already available through the network of community hospitals and within existing GP practices.