North East GPs tell us they're concerned about "tipping point in the near future"
The number of people registered with an NHS GP practice in England increased by 11% between 2013 and 2023.
GPs across the North East tell us they are concerned about the increasing number of patients on their lists.
England faces a "tipping point in the near future" where the majority of appointments in doctor surgeries are no longer delivered by GPs, according to a new study.
Experts found the number of GP practices in England has dropped by a fifth over the last decade at the same time as more patients join surgery lists.
Writing in the BMJ Open journal, the team from University College London (UCL) and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) analysed NHS data together with figures from other sources, including the regulator, the Care Quality Commission.
They found the number of people registered with an NHS GP practice in England grew by 11% from 56,042,361 to 62,418,295 between 2013 and 2023.
Meanwhile, the total number of GP practices in England fell from 8,044 to 6,419 over the same period - a 20% drop.
The data showed GP lists are rising, with the average practice list size increasing by 40% from 6,967 to 9,724 patients, equivalent to 291 more per year, researchers said.
Dr George Rae, from the North East regional medical committee, said: "It is the case that there are many appointments which are being delivered by healthcare assistants, but the reason for that is that we do not have enough GP's across England.
"They're experiencing significant and growing strain because of declining GP numbers, rising demand, struggles to recruit GP's and struggles to retain staff.
"Firstly, you've got to look at the effect upon patients. We want to give the best possible quality service. We want patients to be seen timely.
"We want to give quality service, but it's proving very difficult because of the diminishing numbers of GP's and also the increasing numbers of patients being registered with GP's.
"Politicians have got to be looking at this. There is no doubt that GP practises are experiencing significant strain. There's growing strain. There are declining GP numbers."