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The traditional family doctor could “die out” thanks to an exodus triggered by soaring workloads and Tory cuts, a top GP has warned.

Richard Vautrey, chair of the British Medical Association’s GP Committee, spoke out after Jeremy Hunt admitted “underinvestment” has made it “much harder” for patients to have one familiar GP.

Speaking to the Royal College of GPs conference in Liverpool yesterday,[THU] Health Secretary Mr Hunt warned the number of GPs wanting to quit was the highest since 1998.

He said: “The best thing about the NHS is having a doctor who knows you and your family.”

But he admitted: “The truth is, because we have underinvested in general practice over decades, we have made it much much harder for you to deliver the continuity of care which I think is at the heart of the magic of general practice.

“I want to turn that around and I recognise I can’t do that unless we get more capacity into the system.”

Mr Vautrey said: “Every year, more and more doctors retire or quit the NHS and more surgeries close. Each departure or closure means less continuity for patients and GPs.

“It is not inevitable, but there is a risk the traditional family doctor could die out if the underlying problems, such as funding and workloads, are not addressed.”

He added: “We don’t want general practice to become part of gig-economy, like Deliveroo, where you request a consultation and get whichever doctor is available to take the job.”

In his speech Mr Hunt promised £2.4billion for GPs by 2021, announced £20,000 ‘golden hellos’ for 200 rural GPs a year to boost numbers, and pledged a new state-backed scheme to cut soaring indemnity fees.

He also rebooted his pledge to ensure 5,000 more GPs by 2020 - despite numbers falling by 350 since he made it.

But he clashed with GPs by declaring he couldn’t solve the NHS crisis for them.

And he urged surgeries to find ways to “release between 45 and 60 minutes per GP per day” such as holding appointments online.

RCGP chair Prof Helen Stokes-Lampard warned GPs were “knackered”, “at the end of their tether” and facing “burnout”.

Carter Singh, a GP in Nottinghamshire, demanded of Mr Hunt: “Can you pledge the £2billion plus the extra £350million per week saved from Brexit will go into general practice?

“Because if you can’t, you’ll be remembered as the Health Secretary under whose watch the general practice sector collapsed.”

Dr Stephanie de Giorgo, founder of medics’ support group Resilient GP, said she knew of two family doctors who had killed themselves over workload.

She was met with loud whoops as she told Mr Hunt: “It has got worse on your watch, as we told you it would.”

The 41-year-old GP from Deal, Kent, added: “Why should we believe what you’re saying today when you weren’t listening then?”

Mr Hunt replied: “I’m sorry if that’s what you think. But let me be clear.

“I did not say when I was here before that we were going to solve these problems overnight.”

He added: “You can make a big difference in your own practices.

“This isn’t going to be something that the Health Secretary solves for you.

“It’s going to be something that we solve together.”

Speaking to the Mirror after the speech, Dr de Giorgo said she found the response “underwhelming”. She added: “I think GPs are already doing everything they can.”