The number of vacant GP positions has increased dramatically, according to a new survey.

The findings led GP leaders to call on the government to deliver rapidly on promises of more investment in primary care.

According to the survey, claimed as the only one of its kind, as many as 12% of GP positions are currently vacant.

Some 690 doctors took part in the survey – with nearly half reporting they have had to report a partner in the past year. This year’s vacancy levels compared with 9% last year and 2.1% when the survey was first conducted in 2011.

On average it took six months to recruit a doctor, according to the survey by Pulse magazine.

Royal College of GPs chair Dr Maureen Baker said: “This survey brings home just how important it is that we do everything in our power to recruit more GPs, urgently implement schemes to retain existing ones, and make it easier for trained family doctors to return to practice in the UK following a career break or period working abroad.

“NHS England’s recent GP Forward View announcement provides a lifeline for general practice; now it is vital the proposals in the document are implemented urgently so that GPs and our teams are fully supported to provide excellent patient care now, and in the future.”

The British Medical Association called for practices to be allowed to close their patient lists when they had recruitment problems.

The chair of its GP committee Dr Chaand Nagpaul said: “The Government must ensure that practices that are suffering recruitment problems will be supported and relieved of admin pressures, and be allowed to close their lists.

“The most important thing is that practices do not feel forced to practise unsafely.”