THE Government is keen for more health services to be delivered at your local doctor’s.

So the results of a survey showing GPs sufffering burnout and fearing for the future of their practices is alarming.

Some 200 doctors responded to the survey, which highlighted the crisis at our local surgeries is affecting not just a few.

Health bosses are desperately trying to sort out the situation in our accident and emergency wards too.

With the John Radcliffe still not meeting its targets for four-hour waiting times, getting more people to go to their doctor instead has become one of the key policies to address the situation.

But rather than solve the problem, it appears to have simply moved it onto another area.

Doctors say they are seriously overworked. But brief opening hours and struggles to get an appointment will not convince the public otherwise.

Yet the fact that recruiting GPs is becoming harder shows it is not the draw it once was.

Amidst all this, ultimately it is the patients that suffer, to a potentially lethal degree if GPs are too burnt out to be competent.

What is needed is an injection of cash to make sure they can cope with the added workload and retain new doctors.

Then patients can enjoy longer opening hours and weekend visits while simultaneously easing pressure on A&E.