Nine out of ten GPs worry about missing a serious clue about a patient's condition because of their onerous workload, according to a new poll.

91 per cent of GPs who took part in the ComRes poll, which was commissioned by the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP), do not think that general practice has enough resources to deliver safe patient care within the existing service, while three out of 10 doubt whether their current practice will still be open in 10 years' time.

The vast majority of GPs say that over the last five years their workload has increased (99 per cent), that their fatigue has increased (94 per cent) and that their morale has decreased (97 per cent).

29 per cent have had to seek support, guidance or advice for work-related stress over the last two years.

Meanwhile, in a parallel poll, also commissioned for the RCGP, two thirds (66 per cent) of patients say that ministers should focus on improving existing services, rather than delivering seven-day access to general practice.

Furthermore, three in ten patients were not able to book a GP appointment within a week and two thirds believe that GPs conducting between 40-60 consultations a day threatens the standard of care they can provide for their patients.