I started this petition to highlight the pressure facing my local GP surgery - Burton Latimer Medical Centre near Kettering, Northamptonshire. New housing developments in my town and neighbouring towns/villages have significantly increased the local population. As a result, patients can spend up to an hour on hold, with up to 15 callers ahead of them, trying up to 200 times to get through to the surgery and still not be able to make an appointment.

The staff at the practice are doing their best to help everyone and the health services they provide are excellent.

Our surgery has had to introduce a 'zero tolerance' policy because of rude and aggressive behaviour from disgruntled patients. It is not fair to them or us and I can only see the situation getting worse unless something is done.

Having started the petition, I soon realised that the problems are being experienced in GP surgeries up and down the country. Burton Latimer is by no means alone, but if practices are struggling across the UK, isn't that even more reason to make a stand and say 'enough is enough'?

I don't recall ever complaining to my MP before now, but as a voter, surely it's my right to make my voice heard? If it's okay to be on hold up to an hour and put up with 200 failed attempts to get an appointment with a nurse or doctor, at what point isn't it okay? Two, three hours on hold? 300, 400 failed attempts to get a connection? 30, 50, 100 people on hold ahead of you?

I am no politician, so I don't claim to fully understand the reasons behind the situation and I don't necessarily think that's my job. Why else do we have government and NHS England? However, I see stories in the press that the NHS is cash-strapped, the number of GPs available in the UK has been in decline since 2018, people misuse doctor and emergency services (ringing for inappropriate reasons and not turning up to appointments). I think enough is enough. If you agree, please sign the petition, which is primarily for residents of Kettering Borough. Why not start your own petition in your own boroughs and contact your MPs? The only way we will get anyone to take notice is through a substantial volume of support - thousands, possibly millions signing petitions, not dozens.

Save our NHS and help get better access to GPs.