A team of 70 experienced practitioners has been assembled to help struggling practices, the Royal College of GPs has announced.

The Royal College of GPs says its project will help NHS England fulfil its promise to spend £16 million on resilience this year.

So far little more than £2 million has been spent from the fund, promised as part of the GP Forward View in England.

The college plans to charge £7,500 for intervention by its team – which includes GPs, practice managers, nurses and pharmacists.

The team will recommend a tailored and targeted programme of support to put struggling practices on a “secure footing.”

College vice-chair Professor Martin Marshall said: “Our members and their teams on the frontline are crying out for practical support to help them deliver safe and high quality patient care and we hope that our new service will provide a much-needed solution.

“Our ageing population and rapidly increasing patient demand means that many practices are floundering through no fault of their own. The College’s scheme will help them get back on track; in some communities, it could be the vital lifeline they need to guarantee the future of the family doctor service, close to patients’ homes where they want to be treated.”

He added: “The College has been sounding the alarm bells about the unprecedented pressures in general practice and NHS England’s allocation of £16m in the GP Forward View for this year acknowledges the urgent need to get practices onto a more secure footing.

“However, the take-up has been very disappointing and the majority of practices are yet to feel the impact on the ground.

“It’s very frustrating to hear that large sums of money are sitting there waiting to be spent – money that has been earmarked for struggling practices.”