Well, boxtops, I hope my GP practice is not among those bestowed with extra responsibilities.
Despite having seven or eight doctors, half a dozen nurses, four receptionists and a "practice manager" on its books it only provides service for four and a half days a week (8:30am to 5pm Monday to Friday, one and a half hour closure for lunch and no service on Thursday after 12 noon). They provide no out of hours service, having instead contracted out such inconveniences to a locum service. If you need a blood test you have to traipse to the local hospital (four miles away). If you need you blood pressure taken you do it yourself on a machine in the waiting room. No appointments are made more than 48 hours in advance (so ensuring they meet their target) so if the quack wants you to come back next week you cannot make an appointment on your way out, you have to ring up in five days time.
Meanwhile, of course, you can have your baby weighed and attend no-smoking classes and obesity classes any time you wish.
The people running this “service” are not providing what people need. To entrust them with the responsibility (and the funds) to run the services to which they send people with whom they cannot deal is utter lunacy.