Patients should be charged for GP and hospital visits, leading doctors say.

The British Medical Association (BMA) will vote next week on whether to lobby the Government to introduce alternative ways to fund the NHS.

The radical move, which would end the principle of an NHS free at the point of delivery, will be discussed at the BMA's annual conference on Monday.

Those backing the proposal say charges are preferable to the "covert rationing" of healthcare which they say has become endemic.

And they said fees to see doctors would discourage people with minor ailments from clogging up GP surgeries.

A number of doctors have previously called for the introduction of a £25 fee to see GPs, but so far the BMA has not endorsed the policy.

Earlier this year polling of GPs found eight in 10 were in favour of charges for some services.

Mike Forster, lay secretary for Gloucestershire local medical committee (LMC) said the aim of the motion was to reduce pressure on the NHS, by encouraging patients to take more responsibility.

"There is an enormous amount of demand in general practice. We are just putting a shot across the bow saying is this something to be considered for ameliorating the deluge of patients going through general practice doors who might possibly think twice about doing it," he said.