A MERSEYSIDE health trust has spent £267,000 on foreign GPs to cover shifts resident doctors would not work.

The figure paid by Halton and St Helens PCT between 2008-09 is the largest in the country and covered the total wages of 10 doctors from Poland and Germany.

The Trust was last night unable to confirm whether the doctors were flown in from aboard for shifts or whether they now reside in the UK.

Rob Barnett, secretary of Liverpool’s local medical committee, expressed concerns.

He said: “It is difficult to control when doctors are flown in and the people who are employing these doctors have a responsibly to ensure they are fit to work.

“You could get people who have flown for three hours to come in for a shift and start straight away – I would not want to be seen by those doctors.”

The PCT says care provided by the 10 foreign doctors is as good as that of their peers.

No other Merseyside PCT employs GPs who are not resident in this country.

The employment of foreign doctors began to increase when a new GP contract was introduced in 2004, meaning doctors could opt out of providing cover at the weekends and in the evenings.

Despite the contract average pay has risen to £108,000.

Individual Primary Care Trusts are now responsible for coverage during these times.

The General Medical council has called for a review of out-of-hours care.

Dr Barnett said: “I think the situation has become more acute and more transparent since the change in the GP contract.

“Out of hours care in Liverpool and Knowsley is staffed by local doctors organised through Urgent Care 24 (UC24) and so are other services up and down the country.

“But there is no doubt that there has been a number of doctors from abroad coming in to undertake shifts and the market place that exists at the moment within healthcare encourages this in certain situations.