HUNDREDS of residents have reported major struggles in even securing an appointment at GP surgeries around the area.

A shortage of doctors in the area has left many centres at breaking point.

Clacton MP Douglas Carswell has been working with doctors and health chiefs for several months in a bid to fix the problems and bring healthcare in the area back from the brink of crisis.

He said: “It has become a major concern right across my constituency.

“There are fundamental problems which manifest themselves in different ways in different surgeries, but it boils down to the fact we don’t have enough full time GPs.

Mr Carswell wants to see the health service modernised as part of a long-term solution to the problem.

Read about the MP's vision and the views of patients and doctors in our spotlight piece in this week's Clacton Gazette.