The NHS cannot introduce round-the-clock consultant-led services with current staff levels, three-quarters of surgeons believe.

A survey conducted by the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh (RCSEd) found that 75% thought the health service was unable to introduce 24/7 consultant-led care and half felt that surgical grades were understaffed.

Yet 76% of surgeons agreed with the plans to bring weekend care up to weekday standards.

RCSEd president Ian Ritchie said patients had a right to expect the same standards of care at night and weekends as they would at any other time, but he feared this was not achievable under the current system.

"Our members are strongly in favour of round-the-clock services, but they have concerns about the feasibility of the reforms.

"Simply asking clinicians to work more hours will not solve the problem, it is imperative that services and rotas are designed so that consultant-led care is possible throughout the week.

"This will require an increase in the number of consultants and the generalist capacity across the surgical workforce."

Mr Ritchie also said it was imperative that NHS doctors had access to scans and tests out of hours.

"It is vital that clinicians are able to access essential diagnostic services such as scans and tests at nights and weekends. This means that the capacity across these crucial services must also be considered.

"However, NHS staff are entitled to a work-life balance, and family responsibilities and other commitments mean that not all consultants will be able to work evenings and weekends at every stage of their career."

He said the NHS needed more consultants as well as ancillary staff to cover weekends, but claimed that immigration was not the answer.

"We should be able to deliver care from the doctors that we produce ourselves. We shouldn't be in a position where we are relying on doctors from other countries, in case the supply of doctors dries up."

Instead, Mr Ritchie called on a health care professionals to change the way they work. He said nurses already work on a seven-day week, and that other NHS staff needed to be deployed differently to meet demands.

He added: "The NHS is probably the best standard of health care around the world and we shouldn't lose sight of that. We can do better but I think there are many reasons why that may be difficult, but not impossible."

More than 1,000 members of the surgical college took part in the survey which came a week after health officials pulled out of publishing recommendations on safe staffing.

Heath Secretary Jeremy Hunt gave the responsibility to the newly formed NHS Improvement body, and the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (Nice) decided not to publish the figures, despite originally saying it would do so as usual.

The move was labelled a "concern" by Eddie Jones, head of the clinical negligence department at JMW Solicitors.

He said: "Having previously made clear its intention to publish this information, it would appear to have come under pressure not to do so.

"That can only undermine confidence and the prospect of this material coming to light.

"My concern is whether this is an indication of how Nice is to be treated by this Government."