Dangerous shortage of medics threatens safe patient care in England, top GP says

Exclusive: Royal College of GPs chair says surgeries desperate to hire more doctors but lack funding to do so

GPs can no longer guarantee safe care for millions of patients because of a dangerous shortage of medics, Britain's top family doctor has said.

Prof Kamila Hawthorne, the chair of the Royal College of GPs (RCGP), said surgeries were desperate to hire more doctors to meet soaring demand for care but could not afford to do so because of a lack of core funding.