GPs have ceased to believe that their practice is safe because of “relentless workloads,” according to a new survey.

The survey, published yesterday, found that 87% believe patients are not always safe when they seek GP services – and 70% believe the risk is increasing. The poll of 1,395 GPs found that 2% said patients were “rarely safe” and 22% said they were safe “some of the time.” 61% said patients were safe most of the time but not necessarily all the time.

The poll was conducted for the Rebuilding General Practice campaign which is backed by the British Medical Association and former health secretary Jeremy Hunt. The poll highlighted the poor mental health of many practice staff, finding that 84% of the doctors reported having anxiety, stress or depression over the las year. 24% reported knowing of someone working in a practice who had taken their own life because of work pressures.

Mr Hunt yesterday criticised the “Uberisation” of general practice, criticising the loss of continuity of care. He said care would be safer if patients were seen by doctors who knew their context, family history and social situation.

He said: “You’re more likely to see those red flags when you should, than what I’m afraid we’re moving towards which is the Uberisation of general practice where you see a different GP every time you contact the NHS, just like you see a different Uber driver. That cannot be a good thing for the safety of care.

“If we had more people with their own GP, an ongoing relationship with their GP, then people are actually much more relaxed about a phone conversation or a video call or a text message exchange because they know that it’s in the context for someone who knows them and their family.”

Speaking to the Daily Telegraph, GP Dr Brian McGregor, from York, criticised the tendency to tell the public to check their health with their doctor before undertaking an activity, such as joining a gym. He cited a Marathon in France that requires all participants to have a doctor’s letter.

He said: “From an access point of view, that 35-year-old that wants to run the Paris marathon takes up an appointment, often face-to-face because they think they can persuade you better face-to-face. Wanting their letter takes that appointment away from the 76-year-old that hasn’t got the IT savviness to actually have a digital online booking and has to rely on the phone. And by the time they get through on the phone, it’s gone.”