A controversial plan to publish practice waiting times gets under way today with headlines claiming it is a “naming and shaming” exercise.

Last year proposals to “name and shame”, using the league tables, pushed GPs to vote in favour of some kind of industrial action. The tables will show that about 10% of the population faces waits of longer than three weeks to get appointments and that 20% face waits of two weeks or more. Ministers revived the plan this year, downplaying the threat to “name and shame”.

But today, as the data is published, the Daily Telegraph interviews Health Secretary Steve Barclay who says: “We promised to prioritise patients and improve access, and that is exactly what we have done. This is just the start. I am determined to make it easier for people to get an appointment with their GP practice when they need one and this will allow patients to make a more informed choice about the care they receive.”

Royal College of GPs chair Professor Kamila Hawthorne said doctors have “serious concerns” about the publication of the data.

She said: “We worry that this data will be used to create arbitrary ‘league tables’ that don’t account for different patient demographics and ways of working. Those that appear at the bottom will face undue criticism at a time when the profession is already demoralised and working under intense pressures.”

Last year 80% of GPs in a British Medical Association ballot voted to withhold the data used to compile the publication. Some 58% said they would be willing to withdrawn from primary care networks in protest. The vote was provoked by the former Health Secretary Sajid Javid threatening a “name and shame” policy. Only 35% of GPs took part in the poll, leading the BMA to be reluctant to press ahead with action. At the time, Dr Farah Jameel took over as chair of the BMA’s English GP committee and agreed to attempt a “reset” of relationships with Javid.