A programme of promised investment in general practice has proved “patchy,” senior GPs have claimed.

Funding to support practices has often been delayed and has not reached some parts of England, according to the general practice committee of the British Medical Association.

It criticised NHS England for “confusing and inadequate” implementation.

GPs have been critical of delays in the use of a £40 million resilience fund while practices across the country close their doors.

Some £40 million was allocated to this to be spent over four years. By the end of March some £17 million had been spent on 1,279 practices, the BMA said.

Another £10 million has been spent on vulnerable practices in the last year – helping 714 practices.

But another £30 million fund – the Time to Care – has yet to be deployed although practices are currently applying for funding. The BMA said there were 86 schemes in 107 clinical commissioning group areas.

And just £5 million from a £45 million fund to train reception and clerical staff in practices has been spent.

The report suggests that greatest concern centres on the failure to improve GP recruitment significantly to ensure 5,000 extra GPs by 2020.

The BMA says there is now an increase in trainees – but the number of GPs last year fell by 390.

GP committee chair Dr Chaand Nagpaul said: “Our analysis of the first year of the GP forward view highlights that whilst there has been some delivery, there have been cases where promised funding has been severely delayed or distributed unevenly across the country.

“This confusing and inadequate implementation is unacceptable given the huge pressures on general practice from a combination of factors, including rising patient demand, falling resources and staff shortages.

“Many GP practices are at breaking point and they need certainty that they will get the resources necessary to deliver safe, effective care to their patients.”