A&E DEPARTMENTS already at breaking point are having to cope with another six million people a year because of delays in getting GP appointments, researchers warned yesterday.

Imperial College London experts said that more than a quarter of visits to English A&E departments could be down to difficulty getting a spot at a surgery.

Their study, based on the 2012-13 GP patient survey, showed that 1.67 per cent of people who tried and failed to get an appointment with a GP ended up going to A&E.