SICK people are resorting to do-it-yourself medical treatment because they cannot get a face-to-face appointment with a family doctor, according to new research.

A survey by Savanta ComRes found that, in the past 12 months, more than one in four adults had tried to get an in-person consultation with a GP in their local area but were unable to do so.

While some delayed seeing a doctor or gave up altogether, the poll found that one in six of those who could not get an appointment either administered treatment themselves or asked somebody else who was not medically qualified to do so.

The Liberal Democrats, who commissioned the survey, said that the findings are a “national scandal,” and blamed years of “mismanagement and neglect” of local health services by the government.

In the past year, 72 per cent of adults had tried to get a face-to-face GP appointment in their local area, with 43 per cent proving successful while 29 per cent were not, the survey found.

Of those who were unsuccessful, one in three said they delayed seeing a GP despite being in pain, while almost as many simply abandoned their attempt to get an appointment.

One in four said they purchased medication at a pharmacy or online without advice from a doctor, while one in five went to A&E.

Royal College of GPs vice chairwoman Dr Margaret Ikpoh said: “We want our patients to receive timely and appropriate care, but difficulties in accessing our services are the consequence of an under-resourced, underfunded, and understaffed service working under unsustainable pressures.”

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesman said that the government “recognises the pressures GPs are under” and was working to increase access for patients.