One North East area has more than 2,000 patients for each GP - as medics talk of 'primary care crisis'

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.