FAMILY doctors have warned a disproportionate amount of their time is taken up with paperwork relating to people having their benefits reviewed.

GPs say they are swamped by requests for letters from patients about welfare payments and have less time to care for others.

The latest complaints from the profession over the huge extra workload it is claimed GPs have after the UK Government's welfare reforms emerged during evidence given to MSPs.

The Glasgow Local Medical Committee (GLMC), representing GPs in Scotland's biggest health-board area, said in a written submission to Holyrood's Health Committee: "We provide a universal service for all patients including those who do need support for benefits and housing and those who do not.

"All patients have a right to equality of service access and currently the system is skewed as more and more GP time is taken up with administrative tasks not of their making."

Margaret Watt, chairwoman of Scotland's Patients' Association, said: "Possibly the Government didn't anticipate the number of people involved, and that's sad, and as the GPs say it means they're overworked and patients may obviously have to wait a week to see them. The UK Government should have thought about setting up a special panel for all the administration GPs are now carrying out."

She added: "The pressure should be taken off GPs allowing them to get back to their normal work of treating patients."

The issue is the latest development in the controversy surrounding the overhaul of the welfare system and its impact on GPs.

In April, the GLMC advised members not to carry out care assessments for patients affected by the "bedroom tax", saying it was a social-work matter. The previous month it emerged some GPs charged benefit claimants up to £150 to write letters for them to appeal against a benefit decision.

The GLMC's submission to MSPs said practices had been especially busy since April, when the bedroom tax was introduced.

Under the reform claimants escape benefit cuts for having a spare bedroom if they need a carer to stay overnight. Doctors are angry claimants are directed to them rather than social work departments for assessments.

"As part of the benefit change we are being asked to confirm the exact care a patient requires and this is not our medical role," said the document. "GPs' roles do not include detailed assessments of the care needs of patients. That role is fulfilled by social work."

The Health Committee holds a session tomorrow on the impact of the reforms on GPs. Dr Alan McDevitt of the British Medical Association Scotland and Tressa Burke, chief executive Glasgow Disability Alliance, will give evidence.

A BMA spokeswoman said: "We have been arguing for the benefits system to be altered so it works effectively, rather than doctors being approached for additional information that puts increased pressure on their workload."

She said there was a real danger of a detrimental effect on patient care if the level of requests increased further.