Luciana Berger MP, Labour’s Shadow Public Health Minister, responding to the Press Association survey of GPs, said:

“Forcing patients to pay at the door of A&E is not the way to end David Cameron’s crisis.

"Under this Government, it’s become harder to get a GP appointment after Ministers took away the support for evening and weekend opening in 2010. They must help patients see their family doctor and stop the closure of NHS Walk-in Centres to reduce the pressure on A&E.

"A staggering number of GPs can see that Jeremy Hunt’s plan to keep older patients away from A&E will have little effect. He and David Cameron must bring forward realistic plans to tackle the crisis they’ve caused.”

Ends