Campaigners say plans to reduce the number of GPs in East London could put both patients and the future of Whipps Cross Hospital at risk.

Members of Save Our NHS Waltham Forest protested outside Barts Health annual general meeting last week after NHS bosses admitted that the number of GPs in north-east London would reduce by a third over the next 10 years.

Barts Health Trust, which manages Whipps Cross Hospital in Leyton, has the biggest deficit in the NHS and has recently been placed in financial special measures.

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The trust has to drastically reduce its spending this year, which will not be possible without services being cut.

Retired nurse Jim Fagan, who was one of the organisers of the protest, said: “We believe the plans for the NHS are driven by the government’s political agenda to cut costs and construct services that could easily be privatised.

“They are expecting hospitals like Whipps Cross to reduce the number of inpatients and more people will be treated in the community.

“The plans will lead to a deterioration of services and I think it will make it more difficult to get treatment.

“The population of Waltham Forest is going to rise over the next five or 10 years and we want to make sure we have enough doctors.

“We are now calling on Waltham Forest Council to join us in making a case to the central government, NHS England and the Department of Health that we need increased funding.”

The area's NHS leaders propose to slash GP appointments by 24% and put more primary care in place and bring the number of GPs in north-east London from 600 to 400 over the next 10 years.

A spokesman for NEL commissioning support unit, who advises Barts Health, said: “There is a shortage of GPs nationally, and we know that a significant number of those working in east London are nearing retirement age, so our analysis suggests there may be fewer GPs available to work in east London by 2020.

“Our proposals aim to address this challenge.

“Over the next five years the NHS will invest more in attracting GPs to the area and recruiting.

“We will hold more recruitment days, focus on increasing the number of GPs in training and on finding new ways to retain staff in east London.”