As Health Secretary Therese Coffey unveils plans to guarantee GP appointments within a fortnight, community doctors in the North East have warned her that doing their job "makes them ill".
Jesmond-based Dr Lizzie Toberty and Gateshead's Dr Paul Evans are among the GPs to sign a letter to Ms Coffey highlighting the extreme pressures that doctors face in general practice - and the risk this causes to patients and to medical professionals themselves. This comes as the Royal College of GPs has reacted angrily to the new minister's plans, which it argues risk exacerbating the issue.
Over the last twelve months, campaigning doctors have repeatedly told ChronicleLive how one of the biggest issues they face is lack of manpower. Figures released on Thursday show the number of "Full-Time Equivalent" GPs working had fallen year-on-year for the third month in a row.
