Professor Steve Field, in an exclusive interview with Healthcare Republic, said he welcomed the DoH's consultation on abolishing practice boundaries, which was launched on Thursday, as a means of moving the debate forward.

He said the profession and the DoH need to come up with some solutions for the small number of patients who want some flexibility and choice, but said a statement on abolishing practice boundaries is not appropriate.

Professor Field also suggested patients, the BMA and the DoH need to work through ‘some difficult issues', including the problem of home visits and how practice list contracts should operate.

He said: ‘I welcome the consultation because it means we can move on, and start to look at how we can help all patients rather than just removing a practice boundary.

‘Boundaries for vast majority of patients are good news, so we need to work out how to work with the minority of patients who want some variability, flexibility and choice without destroying the future of general practice.'

Radical reform suggested in DoH practice boundaries consultation