General practice needs a “safety alert” system to provide back up for practices that cannot cope, the Royal College of GPs has said.

The call comes after a survey of college members found that almost half of GPs now believe they do not have enough time to ensure safe outcomes for patients. The survey also found doctors reporting a “significant drain” on their time from red tape. It found that 50% of GPs report that unnecessary paperwork takes up more than a quarter of their time. Some 1,539 doctors took part in the survey which found that in London, and eastern England 60% of doctors said they do not have enough time to assess and treat patients.

The college says a safety alert system would be similar to the critical incident system used by hospitals. It would allow practices to suspend temporarily non-priority activities, including routine health checks, routine staff training and non urgent paperwork. There would also be “overflow hubs” staffed by locums providing care for patients.

College chair Professor Kamila Hawthorne said: “General practice is a safety critical industry yet GPs have none of the mechanisms that other safety critical professions, such as the air traffic industry, have in place to protect them. Our number one priority is the safety of our patients, but GPs are doing more and more to try and meet the rising demand for our services. When you’re fatigued, you’re more likely to make mistakes and our survey shows that many GPs are no longer able to guarantee that the care they are providing to their patients is as safe as it could be.

“We need urgent measures to minimise the potential for any mistakes and that’s why we’re calling for a safety alert system for general practice to protect patients and the hardworking and dedicated GPs and their teams who are caring for them. While some of our appointments will be brief and routine, the vast majority will require careful consideration from GPs to assess the many competing factors at play in an individual patient’s health. This process should not be rushed. Patients deserve to see a GP when they need to, they also need sufficient time with their GP and to know that the care they are receiving is the best it can be. GPs and our teams deserve to do our jobs in a supportive working environment where we can provide excellent care without jeopardising our own health and burning out.”

She added: “The OPEL system has been operating effectively in hospitals for many years and it’s time that general practice had our own equivalent. It will enable practices to sound the alarm and call for help before the care of patients is compromised.”