Surgeries in Bradford are confident of meeting Government proposals to give patients appointments within 24 hours, due to a five-month headstart.

Health Secretary Alan Milburn will this week issue GPs new contracts designed to ensure patients can see a surgery nurse within 24 hours or a doctor within 48.

Although some doctors' leaders have labelled the moves unrealistic without more resources being pumped in, surgeries in Bradford are confident of meeting the targets within the three-year timetable - having started the process in April as part of the national Primary Care Collaborative.

Lesley Hill, head of commissioning at the Shipley-based Bradford North Primary Care Group, said: "We have already implemented programmes to improve access to doctors in six surgeries in the Bradford North area and plan to roll it out to all 13 next year.

"We have changed the way in which doctors work. Some of the changes include doing follow up consultations and repeat prescriptions over the phone.

"Everyone seems to be happy with how it has gone so far and I think the Government's proposals are definitely manageable.

"We don't think these new measures will reduce the amount of time doctors spend with each patient. We see this as a positive move which will enable us to provide a better service."

The four primary care trusts in Bradford, which are responsible for the surgeries, are part of a national scheme involving a selection of districts which have been asked to pilot various initiatives and share information with each other.

Dr Barbara Hakin, chief executive of the Bradford South and West trusts, said the Primary Care Collaborative had been successful in testing out ideas.

She said: "Each area has different needs and it is our responsibility to try to meet these. We have been diverting extra resources into waiting times but even now those patients who need to see a doctor within 24 hours do.

"Our programmes are based on a partnership between surgeries and patients. I think most people realise that we are doing all we can to help them but that no matter how much money you put in, there are only so many people to do the work."