It follows a decision taken by BMA to endorse a vote of no confidence in the Health Minister.

The North Belfast MLA has said: “It is extremely concerning to see the Health Minister and GP representatives seemingly locked at an impasse, with little sign of reconciliation. It is evident that GPs are raising serious issues which must be addressed, not least in terms of workload and their ability to create greater access to primary care in general.

“It is no longer an overstatement to say that our health service as a whole is in crisis. Without harmony between the healthcare workforce and the Department of Health, we will not see any improvement in this situation.

“If the minister is serious about delivering for patients who rely on primary care services, then Northern Ireland needs more GPs. Despite this, we continue to see more and more people leaving our healthcare workforce and we must reverse this trend.

“There’s an essential job of work to be done in creating a first class health service the people of NI deserve. The Health Minister and GPs must get back round the table and repair relationships so we can all get back to this endeavour.”