NHS patients will be able to get care closer to home at a new generation of NHS community hospitals, under Government plans announced today.

Reforms to make the NHS "truly patient-led" will also see regular lifestyle check-ups, dubbed health MoTs, as well as private firms being invited to provide GP services in areas without enough family doctors. Opening hours for GP practices will also be improved to better suit modern work patterns.

The plans, outlined by Patricia Hewitt in a statement to Parliament, could be a lifeline for a host of community hospitals under threat of closure. These "state-of-the-art" community hospitals would provide diagnostic services, surgery and outpatient facilities closer to where people live, the long-awaited, 200-page, community services White Paper said.

There are currently around 350 community hospitals in England, mostly owned and run by primary care trusts (PCTs). Health Minister Lord Warner said that between 50 and 100 of them were being considered for closure by local health services.

The Health Secretary said that where community hospitals were not considered viable to serve the local population, then it was right that they should close.

"But if there are community facilities that are needed for the long-term they shouldn’t be closed down due to short-term budgetary problems," Ms Hewitt added. "We are asking PCTs to reconsider their decision against the principles of this White Paper."

As well as saving the old, the White Paper said the Government would invite PCTs to bid for cash to create a new generation of community hospitals and smaller units.

These smaller centres could take a similar form to so-called "polyclinics" which were introduced in Germany in 2004, which provide a range of services with the involvement of doctors, nurses and other health professionals.

Ms Hewitt said: "Nearly 90 per cent of patient contact occurs in the community and is trusted, but we still spend below the European average on primary care. Over the next 10 years I want to see 5 per cent of resources shifted from secondary to primary care, which will help to make primary and community services more responsive to people’s needs."

Ms Hewitt also confirmed reforms which had been extensively trailed in the press before this afternoon's statement.

Family doctor services could be delivered by private companies to supply services in certain situations, such as areas which suffer from GP shortages. Private firms such as Boots and Bupa are expected to make bids to provide services, alongside ambitious family doctors.

The Health Secretary outlined plans to ensure the areas which suffered the greatest health inequalities received the most money.

Regular check-ups for people at key stages of life, dubbed health 'MoTs', are also to be brought in after the idea proved popular following consultation

Nigel Hawkes, Health Editor of The Times, said that the plethora of new initiatives risked clogging GP surgeries with the worried well. He said: "Health MOTs are likely to add to the churn, summoning fit people from all over the parish to take up doctors’ time. Whether this makes sense is highly questionable. If you’re ill, go and see a doctor. If you’re well, steer well clear.

"The local emphasis of the reforms also contradicts the notion, fostered by initiatives such as the cancer networks, that care is best given in specialised centres. Patient Choice, another cherished policy, envisages patients choosing by quality, not locality."

He added: "The White Paper also reinvents the community hospital just as these local institutions face closure almost everywhere. A website that collects the data lists 74 of them in peril. For campaigners, the Government U-turn is good news, but it raises questions about just how awake they are in Richmond House (headquarters of the Department of Health)."

Dr Hamish Meldrum, the chairman of the British Medical Association’s GPs committee, said that the Government would have to address the underlying problem of too few GPs before it could make its plans a reality.

"We still have a shortage of family doctors and fewer GPs per head of the population than most other countries in Western Europe," he said. "Many practices are already offering longer opening hours, but there will need to be resources in place to expand this more widely. We cannot stretch our existing workforce any further."

Karen Jennings, Unison’s head of health, said: "Trusts across the country are struggling with deficits because of the Government’s use of the Private Finance Initiative to build new hospitals.

"Billions of pounds of public money has gone into building hospitals with outpatients departments which are now in danger of becoming redundant. The super-surgeries will be built using LIFT (NHS Local Improvement Finance Trust) - a modified form of PFI - that will lead to more profits for private companies and more debt for the public."

Gordon Lishman, Age Concern England’s director-general, said: "We welcome the White Paper’s focus on bringing together community health and social care services, as older people must be able to access a range of joined-up services in their communities. It’s hard to see, however, how the Government will realise its vision of integrated services without committing extra money."

Sandra Gidley, the Liberal Democrat Health spokesman, said that the White Paper was a "hot-potch of ideas" that would please nobody.

Andrew Lansley, Shadow Health Secretary, called for a return to the Tory policy of GP fund-holders, abolished by Labour when it came to power.

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