Primary care organisations are increasingly relocating health visitors, traditionally based at GP practices, to community-based units known as geographical teams. Some have also been moved to target areas of need under the Sure Start programme.
But at the British Medical Association's national conference for local medical committees, which represent GPs across the country, GPs voted overwhelmingly that health visitors and district nurses "should always be attached to practices".
GPs unanimously supported motions to "deplore the move towards the separation, both physically and managerially, of nursing and other teams from general practice".
Dr Kebsi Naidoo, chairman of Sefton Medical Committee, one of the committees that raised the motion, said GPs feared child protection concerns or illness could be missed if health visitors were separated from primary care health teams.
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