He added: “Patients who have already been diagnosed and now find themselves on the growing waiting list would be likely to find it harder to access their GPs for the support they need to cope with ongoing symptoms, including pain management.”

The British Medical Association warned on Sunday night that demand in the NHS is “far outstripping supply” and more GPs are needed to ensure patients have access to “safe, timely, high-quality care”.

Dr Farah Jameel, the chairman of the association’s GP committee, said that the overall number of GPs has seen “little growth” since 2015.

“To ensure safe, timely, high-quality care for patients, we need enough GPs to create the capacity to see patients, manage complex teams of health care professionals, and promote healthy living. Demand is far outstripping supply in the NHS and it’s in no one’s interest to allow this to continue,” she said.

A Department for Health and Social Care spokesman said it was committed to boosting the number of doctors.

“The latest data shows a record-breaking 4,000 GPs started training this year, and there were 1,800 more GPs working in the NHS as of September,” they added.