Access to our GPs is something that has become a bone of contention in recent years.

Many of us will be familiar with the problem of not being able to get an appointment until the day you need it, and having to ring constantly from 8am, trying to get access to a doctor at the same time as everyone else is.

One surgery in Bradford drew the ire of its patients when it told some patients that they would have to wait until July to get an appointment.

This is more of an extreme case than most, and was due to staffing levels at the surgery, but it is symptomatic of the problem of access to GPs.

Our GP is the first port of call when we get sick or have minor ailments, and it is vital that people - especially the old and the vulnerable - are able to get an appointment at the earliest opportunity.

The knock-on effect is that those who cannot get appointments but fear for their health might present themselves at the accident and emergency department of their local hospital.

Our hospitals are already badly stretched with regards to resources and staff, and the last thing they need is people turning up with problems that are not serious enough for casualty teams.

But if people cannot get appointments at their local GP, this vicious circle will continue to the detriment of all.

There needs to be a massive overhaul of the appointment system to ensure that everyone has the best possible access to their GP at all times, to prevent yet further strain on the NHS.