...and GPs rake in £300,000

Doctors in London and the South East today came under fire over "jaw-dropping" salaries of more than £300,000 a year.

Freedom of information requests revealed that a GP in the borough of Sutton and Merton earns £319,000 a year, while another in the North East Essex Primary Care Trust earns more than £380,000.

The salaries were made up of bonuses and overtime payments for evening and weekend work, which doctors performed free before a contract was bought in 2004. Under the deal, GPs earn more for monitoring asthma patients and those with coronary heart disease. Six years ago GPs earned about £70,000 a year.

TaxPayers' Alliance chief executive Matthew Elliott said: "Some GPs are earning jaw-dropping amounts despite a reduction in their requirement to do out-of-hours work. The pay and perks should be published."

Some of the figures include the money GPs have to pay out for staff salaries and rents. A British Medical Association spokesman said: "These figures don't tally with statistics based on GPs' tax returns. PCTs have information based on the income a practice receives but this is not what GPs earn, as there are expenses to be paid." Michael Summers, vice chairman of the Patients' Association said: "I would hope these figures are the exception - £100,000 would seem fair."

Only 22 of 152 PCTs replied to the request for details of the GP in each area with the largest earnings. Many of the highest salaries are in rural areas.