PATIENTS at Fordingbridge Surgery are being warned of longer delays to see doctor's as GP numbers tumble in England as recruitment crisis bites.

A Royal College of General Practitioners analysis of NHS England’s GP Patient Survey concludes that 2015 will see the fourth successive sharp year-on-year rise in delays.

Fordingbridge Surgery practice manager Michelle Raymond said: "The national shortage of GPs is now affecting us here at the Fordingbridge Surgery.

"We currently have doctor and nurse shortages and we regret that there are longer delays for appointments than we would like."

Now patients are being urged to lodge their concerns with New Forest West MP Desmond Swayne and join the British Medical ASsociation's Your GP Cares campaign, calling for government action over the crisis.

Fordingbridge Surgery employs ten GPs. The duty doctor has contact with between 80 and 100 patients each day and can assess up to 100 letters and test results each day.

Ms Raymond said: "GPs also have to attend meetings, and be involved in local decision-making about the commissioning of hospital services. There is huge pressure to move more services out of hospitals and into the community but instead of funding being increased to help GPs deal with this additional work, it is actually being cut.

"Based on experience we feel that it is very unlikely that we will be able to recruit additional staff in the immediate future. Sadly, it would seem that many newly qualified doctors are reading the almost daily attacks on GPs in the national press and do not view a career in General Practice as an attractive option.

"Some of the GPs in this practice have been here a very long time and are extremely popular with patients. We completely understand that patients want to see a doctor they have known and trusted for many years, but with the best will in the world these GPs simply cannot see all of the patients who would choose to see them.

"Although you may have to wait for a routine appointment, we will always have arrangements in place to deal with truly urgent medical cases on-the-day. Please help us to make this work by not taking an urgent appointment for something that can wait.

"To help us please be prepared to give some explanation of why you need the appointment when you call. Our receptionists may not be medically qualified but are trained to direct patients to the right practitioner for their medical need."

Ms Raymond added: "Please use your voices to raise this with your MP, and to remind your friends and family to cancel the appointments they no longer attend."

The surgery claims that more than 70 hours of GP surgery time are wasted every month, because patients fail to turn up to booked appointments.

Patients are being asked to join the British Medical Association's Your GP Cares campaign by visiting their website: http://bma.org.uk/working-for-change/your-gp-cares