British patients could soon rate their doctors by posting reviews on an official health service website, Health Minister Ben Bradshaw said in comments published Tuesday.

By being able to read feedback from other patients, people would be better able to decide which doctor they wanted to consult, the junior minister told The Guardian newspaper.

The scheme would take its cue from the way people leave comments and ratings about books and music on Internet retail sites, Bradshaw said.

Posters would be able to leave positive and negative feedback, though the site would be moderated.

However, doctors' representatives voiced concern that it would descend into a meaningless popularity contest rather than providing accurate information about medical skills.

Officials have been told to get the necessary software ready in 2009, The Guardian said.

Since April, the National Health Service's Choices website has allowed people to post comments on hospitals. Bradshaw wants to extend the scheme to family doctors, called general practitioners (GPs).

"On NHS Choices there is already some useful information about whether a practice offers extended hours and how it performs on the quality indicators," Bradshaw said.

"But the quality scores look like the results of an east European election under the Soviet regime. Nearly all get 96 percent, 97 percent or 98 percent.

"That doesn't really give people an idea of whether the practice is better or worse than others in the area.