The government is planning to phase out Primary Care Trusts, which take responsibility for commissioning medical services in their local area, and give funds directly to GPs.

According to medical professionals in Petersfield, Bordon and Liphook, the move would jeopardise the standard of patient care in their practices.

Dr John Rose, who works at Woolmer Surgery in Bordon and Badgerswood Surgery in Headley, said: "My view is that GPs don't have the time or resources to manage finances.

"My working day begins at 8am and ends at 9.15pm and I have to fit in medical reading during my lunch so I certainly don't have time.

"The patients are my priority."

Dr Rose held the view that more information was needed before anything concerning the changes in funding could be fully assessed.

He said: "I don't think this is good for patient care, but clearly we need more detail on how this is going to be implemented before anyone can be sure."

Similar sentiments were echoed by the practice manager of Bordon and Woolmer surgeries Jane Howell.

She said: "We need to be sure patients don't suffer because GPs are pulled in other directions to manage budgets, but how can we say yet whether this is a good thing for patients or not?

"We need more information."

Even medical professionals who support the shake-up expressed similar concerns. Newtown Surgery in Liphook's practice manager, Mike Korab said: "I can only speak for myself but I would imagine that the changes would be welcomed, but time is of course a worry and we certainly need to know more about how the system would be implemented."

GP Partner Dr Andrew Holden at Swan Surgery in Petersfield agreed.

He said: "I don't think there will be any immediate change in patient care, but we must be careful too much time is not taken away from it and directed into managing budgets."

While stressing that GPs needed more information from the government, Dr Holden pointed out that there have been too many significant changes in local healthcare provisions already.

"I've been a GP for 15 years and this is the fourth major reorganisation I've seen," he said.

"I think practices deserve praise for the way they have constantly adapted."

Dr Holden added: "I would personally like to make more operations available locally, such as fibre optic examinations, so that patients don't have to go out of their way for them, as they are having to do now."

"It's up in the air at the moment and we will have to just wait to find out more about it.

"But I am prepared to make the best of whatever scenario to help make sure patients are happy.

"If the patients are happy, I am happy."

Back in Bordon, Dr Rose acknowledged the shake-up could be good for patient care because practice managers and GPs were on the frontline of healthcare, so they were best placed to judge which areas of their practices required the most improvement.

Dr Rose said: "In some ways it would be beneficial as I can see areas of the surgeries where I would personally look to improve conditions and resources.

"Our child and adolescent mental health service is very poor, for example.

"In that respect, it would be good if local surgeries were in charge of funds."