GP surgeries are operating in a state of emergency because of problems with resources and staffing levels, a leading family doctor has said.



Dr Chaand Nagpaul, head of the British Medical Association’s general practice committee, said patients were being “short-changed on a daily basis”.

Nagpaul, who practises in London, told a conference of local medical committees on Saturday that, according to research, 90% of GPs felt their workload was damaging the quality of care they provided – something he said was a disgrace.

He said GPs were having to deal with complicated cases within 10 minutes, treat a “conveyor belt” of up to 70 patients a day with administration on top of that, while understaffed practices were forced to continue registering new patients.

“To put it simply, it is not safe to carry on the way we are, and which is why this conference is highlighting that general practice is quite literally in a state of emergency,” he told delegates in London.

“I’m constantly told by ministers that the greatest battle is getting money out of the Treasury. My message to the chancellor is to use his financial nouse. Stop penny-pinching and be poundwise, grab yourself a bargain while there are GPs out there because once they’re gone, they’re gone, since it costs £136 for all-in unlimited care and home visits per patient per year, which is less than the price of walking through a single outpatient clinic door once.”

GPs have clashed with the health secretary, Jeremy Hunt, over his plans for a seven-day NHS. Last year, Hunt was forced to defend England’s chief inspector of general practice after doctors called on him to resign.

Prof Steve Field, who is based at the Care Quality Commission (CQC), was criticised over comments he made saying he was “ashamed” of colleagues who provided poor care.

In a video message to the conference on Saturday, the health minister Alistair Burt said the government was increasing funding for GP services by between 4% and 5% over the course of this parliament and looking at measures to streamline bureaucracy, CQC inspections and the payment system.

He said: “I know that general practice is under pressure at the moment, I meet a lot of GPs up and down the country. But I’m also aware of what it is we are trying to do to help.”