More people than ever are using private GPs - and the companies say it is because they can provide the kind of care people want.

Private companies are reporting huge increases in the number of people using them.

They say it is because they can offer services which many NHS GPs cannot do.

What people require in terms of care is out of line with what the NHS can give them

Andrew Rae-McCance, Doctors Direct

One private company, Doctors Direct, has reported an increase in annual turnover from �247,000 in 1997 to an expected turnover of �1.4m this year.

Already offering a service across London, it is hoping to expand its national service for insurance and business clients to members of the public.

Helpline worries

Its chief executive Andrew Rae-McCance said he believed people were turning to private companies because the NHS did not provide the service they wanted.

He told BBC News Online: "What patients tell us is that when they get to see their NHS GP, the service that they get is excellent. Most GPs in the NHS provide a very good service.

"But what people require in terms of care is out of line with what the NHS can give them."

Mr Rae-McCance said patients were also unhappy with the NHS Direct telephone helpline.

The nurse-led service is used at evenings and weekends to direct patients to the care they need, ranging from self-help advice, to advice to attend A&E.

"Patients believe NHS Direct is not a gateway, but that it restricts their care.

"They find it difficult to obtain the care they want, especially at night.

"If a mother who has a baby with a temperature at 2am in the morning rings in and is given advice, it may be sound advice, but what she would really like is for a doctor to come out and check the baby is all right."

The government has set a target saying all patients should be able to get an appointment with their GP within 48 hours by 2004.

But Mr McCance said, even if this was achieved, there were always be people who would want a service that the NHS couldn't deliver, such as busy professionals unable to get an appointment at a convenient time.

Longer appointments

Another private company which has seen an increase in demand recently is Essex-based U-First Healthcare.

The service, which has 10 GPs, allows patients to book same-day appointments which last 20 minutes.

A common complaint amongst NHS patients, and GPs, is that pressure on the health service means consultations are too short, lasting around seven minutes.