One three family doctors plan to close their surgeries to new patients, a survey found.
They claim that without drastic action they will be unable to give safe care to those already on their books.
One in ten GPs said they had already closed surgery lists to new patients temporarily within the past 12 months.
A further 28 per cent – nearly a third – admitted they were considering doing so.
Family doctors claim that without drastic action they will be unable to give safe care to those already on their books
GP surgeries are under huge strain from the ageing population – with many more patients having complex illnesses – as well as immigration.
They are also in the grip of a recruitment crisis, with an exodus of doctors retiring or quitting who are not being replaced by young trainees.
Doctors’ leaders say the only way surgeries can cope with the pressure is to refuse to accept new patients. It means anyone moving into the area cannot register with their local practice and must travel further to find a surgery where the list is still open.
They are also in the grip of a recruitment crisis, with an exodus of doctors retiring or quitting who are not being replaced by young trainees
Figures from NHS England show that 145 surgeries were given permission in 2016/17, although a total of 231 surgeries had applied to close their patient lists
NHS guidelines forbid GPs from closing their lists unless they have been granted special approval from their local health board on patient safety grounds.
Figures from NHS England show that 145 surgeries were given permission in 2016/17, although a total of 231 surgeries had applied.
But a survey of 500 ‘partner’ GPs – senior doctors in charge of surgeries – suggests hundreds of others are closing their lists informally, without approval.
According to the poll by Pulse, a website for GPs, 9 per cent had temporarily stopped accepting new patients in 2016/17, with or without permission.
If the findings are representative for the 7,700 surgeries in England, then almost 700 closed their lists.
Another 28 per cent of partner GPs said they were considering closing their lists.
Some said they were taking legal advice on whether to defy NHS England’s orders to remain open.
Labour health spokesman Jonathan Ashworth said: ‘This shocking survey is damning evidence of a system falling apart at the seams’
The situation is so dire in Folkestone, Kent, that all seven GP practices have asked to close their lists.
They applied to the South Kent Coast Clinical Commissioning Group for permission in September but were refused. They are appealing on safety grounds.
Dr Richard Vautrey, of the British Medical Association’s GP committee, said: ‘General practice is under unprecedented pressure from rising workload, tightening budgets and widespread staff shortages.
These findings are unsurprising.’ Norman Lamb, the Lib Dems’ former care minister, said: ‘GPs don’t want to close their lists, they are forced to do so.
GP practices are badly overstretched and they feel it is unsafe to have far too many patients on their lists.
‘The lack of Government funding has caused this problem and the impact on patients during a cold winter could be devastating.’
Labour health spokesman Jonathan Ashworth said: ‘This shocking survey is damning evidence of a system falling apart at the seams.
‘The Tories’ relentless underfunding of primary care services has left practitioners struggling to keep services going and it is patients paying the price.’
In September, the BMA held a ballot of GPs which found half were in favour of closing lists in protest against the Government.
Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt has repeatedly promised to hire an extra 5,000 GPs by 2020
They said ministers had failed to provide enough funding to enable their surgeries to cope with the rising demand.
Some senior doctors within the union had wanted surgeries to close their lists in a co-ordinated form of industrial action.
But BMA leaders decided against a collective move fearing it would be deeply unpopular with the public and would only harm patients.
Instead they have been lobbying the Government for more money and an increase to the GP workforce.
Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt has repeatedly promised to hire an extra 5,000 GPs by 2020.
The Department of Health stressed that GPs are not allowed to close lists without approval from NHS England.
A spokesman said: ‘This small survey is absolutely not representative of the picture across general practice.’