'This is the first time I can remember GPs being so desperate'

Family docs plot industrial action over cuts to services | Fears NHS clinics will end in same crisis as dentists

- DAVE BURKE

GENERAL Practice could end up in the same desperate situation as dentistry with patients turning to private clinics unless urgent funding is provided, doctors warn.

More than a decade of Tory cuts have left many surgeries closed or on their knees and for the first time in 60 years family medics are considering industrial action.

GPs fear more and more patients will end up in private practices, where consultations cost around £45, as they struggle to get appointments with NHS doctors - while those who cannot afford that will be left fighting for fewer spots available.

It has sparked fears of a repeat of the dentistry crisis where people in many parts of the country are unable to register with an NHS dentist due to closures, with private providers racing to fill the gaps.

And GPs warn industrial action, which could begin on Thursday, would bring the NHS to a standstill.

The British Medical Association said under the NHS contract, GP practices receive just 30p a day for each patient, and warned a new deal of a 1.9% funding increase for 2024/25, fon bu the Tories, is "derisory".