Struggle for patients to contact surgery

Millions of people struggle to reach a GP because they are met with an engaged tone when they call their local surgery, according to a survey by telephone service provider NEG.

Every month more than six million patients who phone a doctor between 8am and 10am are unable to get through, research suggested.

And it found 93 per cent of calls to surgeries which use normal landlines go unanswered because the number is busy.