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Patients are to be given new rights to register with a GP surgery of their choice, the health secretary has announced.
In a step that will see the end of catchment areas and aims to "drive up standards", Andy Burnham said that individuals will be able to register with any family doctor.
The measures are to be introduced within a year, with ministers hoping that more choice in the GP system will improve standards.
Speaking at a King's Fund event in London, the health secretary said the government will now consult with GPs on how the measures will work, including ensuring home visits are protected.
It is expected that popular practices will expand under the moves, receiving extra funding related to the number of patients listed on their register.
Practices will agree their catchment areas with local health managers, varying in size between rural and urban areas.
Under present rules patents can only register with a GP within defined boundaries close to their homes.
Burnham said: "I want the best to be available to everyone, not according to where they live.
"Too often people's choice of GP practice is unnecessarily limited by practice boundaries, so, with the profession, I want to open up real choice in primary care."
The health secretary said people's choice of a GP should be based on their own needs, not by their location.
"In this day and age I can see no reason why patients should not be able to choose the GP practice they want," he insisted.
"Many of us lead hectic lives and health services should be there to make things easier."
Shadow health secretary Andrew Lansley criticised the government for taking its time to abolish the boundaries.
"We've always argued that it was ludicrous for the government to talk about giving people a choice of GP when they restricted that choice based on their postcode," he said.
"That is why we announced plans to abolish practice boundaries two years ago."
Dods Parliamentary Communications Ltd
Mr Garratt
15th Nov 2009 at 10:20 pm