Some GPs have been transporting acutely unwell patients to hospital in their own cars because of ambulance delays, British Medical Association leaders have warned.

The BMA’s GP committee for the UK revealed this was happening as it rejected a call for GPs to cover for paramedics during today’s ambulance strike. The committee has passed a resolution offering “full support” to today’s industrial action, saying that GPs are “in solidarity” with demands for fair pay and safe staffing.

The committee said it was “unacceptable and unsafe” for GPs in England to be asked to provide emergency cover for the transport of patients today. It went on: “GPs are increasingly being forced to transport acutely unwell patients to secondary care in their own personal transport with no emergency equipment due to unacceptable ambulance delays across the UK, it is only a matter of time before a fatality occurs.”

Meanwhile Dr Michelle Drage, chief executive of Londonwide local medical committees, urged GPs to work within safe limits – following reports of practices being deluged with hundreds of patient calls daily this week. She said that 25 contacts a day is the safe limit.

Dr Drage told GPs last night: “It is increasingly important that GPs and practice teams are clear and consistent about the safe upper limits of patient contacts, to enable safe practise safely for patients, and for practitioners. It is clear that we need to manage our patients’ safety in the face of political game playing.”

She added: “Take heart, more and more patients are seeing the problems in the NHS as being driven by spending decisions in Westminster rather than being the fault of those delivering the care.”