Shocking figures show there are now more than 2,000 patients for every family doctor in South Tyneside.
Research from the Nuffield Foundation shows that the pressure on GPs - and the struggle for patients to get appointments - in South Tyneside is as bad as almost anywhere in the country. Sunderland also has a worryingly high rate.
In South Tyneside there are 2,025 patients for each GP, while in Sunderland there are 1,853. In Northumberland, North Tyneside, Newcastle and Gateshead the ratio of patients to doctors is considerably lower - at around 1,500 patients per GP - but with the number of GPs nationwide having declined since 2015, the picture is hardly rosy there either.
Read more: Behind the scenes at a 'busier than ever' Tyneside GPs' surgery where doctors see 45 patients a day
The situation in County Durham is similar, with 1,701 patients per GP according to the report. This comes as doctors around the country have signed an open letter urging patients to add to the pressure on Government to increase the number of GPs working.
Over the last year doctors around the region have raised concerns about burn out and high numbers of colleagues considering retirement, and a campaign - RebuildGP - has been launched demanding the Government acts on its commitment to hire 6,000 more GPs in the coming years.
At least 27 North East and Yorkshire GPs have so far signed the letter. It reads: "We want to give great care, to meet you, to listen to you, and to look after you and your families. It may not feel this way right now, but all we can say is the truth. And the truth is – general practice is in crisis."
It continues: “It is because of decades of underfunding and neglect; broken government promises and political contempt for you – our patients - that the system is fractured. This crisis is putting you – and us – at an increased risk.”
Recently released NHS England data also shows how in April this year, compared to the same month in 2019, the number of GP practices has fallen 6.3%. The number of registered patients has risen 3.1% and 4.6% more appointments have been available.
Medics like Gateshead's Dr Dawn Turner have recently spoken out about feeling "burnt out" in the profession - due to the extreme numbers of patients a GP has to see each day.
Dr Turner told ChronicleLive: "On average I'm doing 10-hour days. It's hard and I'm in the process of reducing my hours. I'm really quite burnt out. The bottom line is we need more people."
A spokesperson for the Sunderland and South Tyneside NHS Clinical Commissioning Groups said: "We are continuing to work hard to improve the number of GPs in Sunderland and South Tyneside. We have implemented a number of initiatives to increase GP numbers (such as GP Career Start schemes).
"We have also been pleased to see an increase in the number of training practices we now have in place as well as the establishment of the Medical School at Sunderland University, which has a focus on General Practice.
"However, it is important to remember that practices are more than just GPs, and patients receive healthcare from a team of specialists to ensure patients get the right care and treatment.."
The spokesperson added that Primary Care Networks in the area had received funding to boost the number of extra staff in practices other than GPs, too.
The Government has reiterated it is committed to increasing the number of people working in general practice. A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson has said the number of GPs has increased by more than 1,600 over the past two years.
They added: "Through the GP access plan, we have made £520 million available to improve access and expand general practice capacity during the pandemic. This is in addition to £1.5 billion announced in 2020 to create an additional 50 million general practice appointments by 2024 by increasing and diversifying the workforce."
READ NEXT:
