Overstretched doctors’ surgeries are turning away hundreds of patients every day who are being warned they will not get appointments for weeks.

Some health centres are now full to capacity after other practices have closed and they do not have enough doctors to cope with the influx of new patients.

Staff at Wigmore Medical Centre are not taking pre-bookings and appointments can only be made by calling at 8.30am for one on the same day.

At The Thorndike Centre in Rochester patients were told this week they will not get at an appointment until November, at the earliest.

Two notices have been put up at The Thorndike Centre in Longley Road, where the number of people registered is now about 16,000 for 10 part-time doctors, informing patients of the backlog in bookings.

More than 2,000 have enrolled in the last year after the closure of nearby Rochester Healthy Living Centre and Esplanade Healthcare in Rochester.

One sign tells visitors: “If you have any issues with the above please speak to NHS England.”

Another reads: “We now have a shortage of clinicians”, followed by, in capital letters: “Please be aware appointments are now limited!”

Patient Kevin Gearey, 62, from Rochester, tried to get an appointment at The Thorndike Centre on Monday.

He said : “When I arrived, there was a massive queue and with a sign saying there may be no chance of seeing a doctor until November. I had no choice but to take matter into my own hands.

“I got assessed at the NHS walk-in centre in Gillingham, sent on to A&E at Medway and then had an operation the next day – all without my doctor knowing.

“The Thorndike Centre, where I am a registered patient, will probably only learn that, not only did I have a problem, but have had an operation under a general anaesthetic to resolve it when they get a letter from Medway Maritime.

“That cannot be right. It’s the wrong way round. It also puts too much pressure on an already overstretched A&E department, which, despite everything, still acted superbly in my case.”

Theresa Baker, Thorndike’s practice manager, said: “It’s not something we have done without considerable consideration.

“We have queues out the door every day.

“Any extra on-the-day appointments are gone within an hour of the doors opening at 8.30am.

“It’s even more frustrating when patients do not turn up or arrive late.

“With guidelines that GPs should only spend 10 minutes for each appointment, this can have a serious knock-on effect throughout the day.”

Mrs Baker said the problem has been compounded by an expanding population as new housing developments spring up in the area.

She has met NHS England and she has an appointment with the Clinical Commissioning Group which is responsible for requirements and provision of health services.

She said: “The fact is that there are not enough services and not enough clinicians.

“We need at least one more clinician and locums are expensive.

“Frankly, it’s a national issue which is not getting any better and I can’t see it being resolved.”

Mrs Baker added that in three months they had 1,200 missed appointments.

She said: “I have now started a system that I send out a warning letter if a person misses three appointments in three months and if it happens again in six months they will be removed from the list.”