Professor Tom O'Dowd:

It has increased demand, including out-of-hours demand. Parents come home after the crèche has phoned to say that little Johnny needs to see the doctor. I have no evidence for the following so I have to be careful about it. From my own work, the prescribing of antibiotics may have fallen because we can now say to a parent that if an under six child does not get better within three or four days, he or she can bring the child back to the surgery. Usually, as is the nature of minor illness, it is a bit better in three or four days. That is an important advantage.