A senior figure at Newcastle Gateshead NHS CCG called on the Government to support the health service by rowing back on austerity-driven cuts to primary care provision - and specifically Sure Start centres.
Bill Cunliffe, a retired surgeon and one of the top medics on the CCG's governing body, also said - as the NHS continues to face unprecedented pressure across the board, that "the limiting factor at the moment really is workforce".
He said funding primary care services would save the NHS money in the long-run.
