Concern about the shortage of GPs and difficulties in getting appointments increased this week with two long-serving councillors from rival parties demanding improvements.

Cllrs Teresa Murray and Peter Hicks were responding to the Messenger’s report last week that some health centres in Medway were now full to capacity and patients are unable to get appointments for weeks.

We revealed how the Thorndike Health Centre in Rochester has been particularly affected after a doctor’s practice at the nearby healthy living centre folded and Esplanade Healthcare closed.

It has led to an influx of more than 2,000 people registering at the Thorndike in Longley Road bringing the total number on the books to about 16,000 covered by 10 part-time doctors.

It is likely to be compounded by a growing population as more housing developments, including Horsted Park in Chatham and Rochester Riverside spring up.

Cllr Murray, Labour’s health spokeswoman, said: “People desperate for an appointment end up in A&E at Medway Maritime Hospital, putting even more pressure on another organisation which is struggling to get out of special measures in time for the next Care Quality Commission inspection visit in November this year.

“The Clinical Commissioning Group must up its game, we need more GPs and a serious long term plan with the funding required to make our local NHS services as good as Medway deserves them to be.

She blamed the reorganisation of primary care services after the 2010 general election.

“New CCGs were set up, led by GPs who overnight, found themselves managing medical services in the geographic area with the resulting huge organisational and financial implications while trying to maintain clinical excellence.

"Lack of training, the need to run existing services while everything in the background was in a state of flux as well as constant pressure to make savings has left Medway CCG and many others in a mess.”

Tory councillor Peter Hicks complained to NHS England after letters were written about 2,500 patients at the Rochester Healthy Living Centre in Delce Road this year asking them to find an alternative GP.

Cllr Hicks said: “I informed them at the time that this was the wrong decision, particularly when there will shortly be major regeneration and new house building at Rochester Riverside.

“I was concerned that other local surgeries, including The Thorndike Health Centre, would be unable to cope with the excessive demand which is exactly what has now happened.”

It has emerged the CCG, which provides most health services in Medway, wants to take over the role of overseeing GPs from NHS England from next April.

A spokesman acknowledged Cllr Murray’s concerns about the pressure on GPs both locally and nationally.

He said: “We are in the process of applying to take over the responsibility for commissioning of GP services in April next year from NHS England which will allow us to support our local GPs more directly.

“For example, we will be ensuring that funding to provide resilience for local GPs is targeted to those most in need and we will be introducing closer collaboration between neighbouring practices.”

Meanwhile notices have gone up at The Thorndike Health Centre warning that because of a shortage of clinicians, appointments are limited.

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

Pensioner Pauline Osgood tried unsuccessfully all day to get an appointment to see a doctor after suffering breathing difficulties.

Mrs Osgood, a widow,79, started ringing her Rochester surgery as soon as it opened at 8.30am and lost count how many calls both herself and a sheltered housing warden made.

In the end as her condition deteriorated she rang Meddoc after 6.30pm who called out at ambulance to her home in John Street. Paramedics diagnosed that she was having a panic attack.

Mrs Osgood, said: “I only live around the corner from the surgery, but it is uphill and I have difficulty walking there. And I have seen how long the queues are first in the morning.

“Everyone knows it’s not working, but the question is when is it going to improve?”

Her ordeal comes after we revealed last week how another patient, Kevin Gearey, had to bypass his GP entirely when he arrived at the Thorndike centre to be met with a ‘huge queue’ and ended up needing an operation at Medway hospital the next day.