ONE in eight patients in parts of the region are unable to get a GP appointment when they need one, doctors are warning.

Thousands of people in the North-East and North Yorkshire complained they could not book a slot, in official surveys carried out by the department of health.

It meant that patients were being turned away on several million occasions each year, the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) warned.

And it blamed the “growing crisis” on funding cuts to general practice at a time when demand for services is rising sharply.

Dr Maureen Baker, of the RCGP, said: “The unprecedented decline in funding for healthcare in the community has brought general practice to its knees.

“GPs and practice nurses can’t keep doing more for less. Now that funding for general practice in England has slumped to just 8.5 per cent of the NHS budget, the service we provide is in crisis.

“All three political parties say they want to see more patients being treated in the community, yet resources are increasingly being diverted into hospitals.”

But the department of health accused the RCGP of confusing the number of people with the number of consultations – describing its claims as “complete nonsense”.

A spokesman said: “The GP survey showed the vast majority of patients are satisfied with their GP and rated their experience of making an appointment as good.”

The survey tested the opinions of thousands of patients in each clinical commissioning group (CCG) area, over six months last year.

It found that 12 per cent in Hartlepool and Stockton-on-Tees – a total of 558 patients, of 4,749 who responded – were unable to “see or speak to someone” at their local surgery.

In North Durham, 11 per cent of patients could not get an appointment – slightly more than the ten per cent in Darlington and Durham Dales, Easington and Sedgefield and elsewhere.

But the problems were not acute in North Yorkshire, in Hambleton, Richmondshire and Whitby (six per cent), Harrogate and Rural District (seven per cent) and Vale of York (seven per cent).

The figures exclude patients who said they could get an appointment, having been asked to “call back closer to, or on the day, I wanted”.

The Hartlepool and Stockton-on-Tees CCG declined to comment on the figures and NHS England – which commissions GP services – was unable to respond last night (Monday, February 24).

The RCGP said the average number of annual consultations carried out by each GP in England has increased by 1,450 since 2008, from 9,264 to 10,714.

Andy Burnham, Labour’s health spokesman, linked the lack of appointments to the rising numbers heading to choked A&E departments.

He said: “Patients call the surgery early in the morning only to be told nothing is available for days. It is unacceptable.”