AN MP today raises the alarm over a GP crisis in part of Hampshire – with patients being turned away from bulging surgeries.

Mark Hoban reveals that practices in his Fareham constituency have up to 700 more patients for each family doctor than the average across England.

And he will urge NHS chiefs to act urgently by recruiting more GPs, when he meets NHS Wessex director Debbie Fleming today.

Mr Hoban said: “New homes to the west of Fareham, and the closure of one GP’s surgery, are driving up the number of patients on GP lists.

“Things are so bad in parts of Fareham that potential patients are being turned away from their nearest surgery.

“Increased numbers make it harder to get routine appointments, potentially causing more people to go to A&E.

“I want NHS England to pay for more GPs in Fareham, to reduce the pressure on local doctors and make sure local residents get the healthcare they deserve.”

The Conservative MP has carried out his own research to expose the crisis, obtaining detailed statistics for each of the ten surgeries in his constituency.

NHS England reported that the average practice, across the country, has about 1,850 patients for each of its family doctors.

But all but one of the ten Fareham surgeries has far more – a list topped by Jubilee Surgery, in High Street, Titchfield, which has a staggering 2,565 patients per doctor.

Other surgeries are not far behind, including Brook Lane, in Sarisbury Green (2,419), Whiteley (2,346), Lockswood, Locks Heath (2,192) and Westlands Medical Centre, Portchester (2,172).

Of the ten in Fareham, only Portchester Health Centre (1,645) comes in under the national average of 1,850 patients per doctor.

An NHS England spokesman said there are “no set upper or lower limits” for patient numbers, adding: “A practice may apply to close their list and not take on new patients, but the decision to do so is taken at the discretion of the practice and not when the number of patients registered reaches a pre-determined point.”