One in three GP training places remain empty , it emerged today , sparking concerns patients will struggle more than ever to access a family doctor . While the Government is desperately trying to recruit more GPs , medical leaders warn the speciality has become unfashionable as junior doctors fear being overworked . The news comes amid a chronic shortage of doctors , and last week it was revealed that 10 per cent of patients tried - and failed - to book a GP appointment in 2013/14 . Access to a GP is about to get even worse , as new figures show a third of GP training posts remain unfilled . This means patients tried and failed to book almost 34 million GP appointments last year . Each August , junior doctors with two years experience after medical school begin training as either a GP or a hospital doctor . This year , 29 per cent of GP trainee places remain unfilled , at a time when there is already a shortage of doctors . In some parts of the UK , more than 60 per cent of positions remain unfilled , sparking fears patients may struggle to see their GP . The figures , from the GP National Recruitment office website , were disclosed in an investigation by Pulse magazine . Overall , they show that more than 1,000 GP training posts are vacant . In the East Midlands , 64 per cent of posts are unfilled , with 63 per cent vacancy rate in the North East of England . In the West Midlands 47 per cent of posts are empty and across the south Coast 41 per cent of places remain unfilled . In 2013 , the last time figures are available , there was a vacancy rate for GP trainee posts of 8 per cent at the same point in the recruitment process . Of the 12 areas across the England , Scotland and Wales , only London managed to fill its vacancies in the first round of recruitment . Doctors warn the figures mean we may be headed for a recruitment crisis , as there is already a shortage of doctors in many parts of the country . Two other areas – Kent , Surrey & Sussex and Thames Valley are expected to do so in the next round of recruitment . Dr Krishna Kasaraneni , chair of the British Medical Association 's GP education committee told the Telegraph the figures show the country is headed towards a 'crisis ' in GP recruitment . He said : 'We saw a significant decline last year and this is looking even worse – with more and more GPs retiring and not being replaced , we are heading towards a major recruitment crisis . ' In many parts of the country , patients are struggling to get access to their GP because there are too few doctors . He said : 'Some practices are having to close their doors , others are reducing the level of service , because there just are n't enough doctors and ever more demands on them , ' he said . He added junior doctors are opting to become hospital doctors instead of GPs as they fear they will be overburdened by work as a family doctor . The figures will be a blow Health Education England , the body responsible for GP recruitment , who had set a target to recruit 50 per cent of junior doctors to become GP trainees by 2016 . They were already forced to push back their deadline for this target by a year , after applications for GP training fell in 2014 . In 2014 , after three rounds of recruitment , there was an overall vacancy rate of 12 per cent for GP training posts .
In August , junior doctors begin training as either a GP or a hospital doctor . They are then expected to work in the NHS for at least 5 years before they can apply for their own private practice.