THREE-QUARTERS of patients in some parts of England are unable to see their preferred GP, Labour warned over the weekend, as it pledged to end the “postcode lottery” for appointments.

The level of face-to-face appointments is down to just 50 per cent in some areas, according to the party’s analysis of NHS England and Office for National Statistics data published on Saturday. 

Ahead of the local elections on May 4, Labour guaranteed that patients who want them will get in-person check-ups and promised to bring back the family doctor, pointing to an NHS review which found the popular move would help earlier detection of serious illness.