GP surgeries in Blackburn with Darwen are having to cope with nearly 1,500 more patients in the same number of practices.

NHS Digital figures show 180,112 patients were registered at the 23 GP practices in the NHS Blackburn with Darwen CCG area, as of the end of June.

This meant each GP team was dealing with an average of 7,831 patients each – up slightly from 7,768 in June 2020.

The number of patients in Blackburn with Darwen increased by 1,446 over this time, while the number of practices remained unchanged.

NHS figures also reveal how one practice in Blackburn with Darwen has around eight times as many patients as another.

The Cornerstone Practice has the most patients registered, with 19,018, while Ewood Medical Centre has the fewest – 2,325.

The figures come as new research from the University of Cambridge finds that there are fewer GPs per patient in poorer parts of England compared to wealthier regions.

Academics found that between September 2015 and December 2020 there were, on average, 1.4 fewer full time equivalent GPs per 10,000 patients in the most deprived areas compared to the least deprived areas.

Across England, 60.8 million patients were registered at 6,571 facilities in June – equating to an average of 9,258 people per practice.

This was up 2.4 per cent on a year previously, and the highest figure since comparable quarterly records began in 2015.

The British Medical Association said a rapid expansion of the GP workforce across England is needed, as the number of patients per practice hit a new national record.

The Department of Health and Social Care said the new Office for Health Promotion – to be launched later this year – will "level up the health of the nation" and close disparities.

A spokeswoman added: “We have invested £270 million to expand GP capacity, on top of the £1.5 billion for extra staff until 2023-24.

“The highest ever number of doctors accepted a place on GP specialty training in 2020 and we are committed to increasing the number of training places available to 4,000 a year, as well as targeting recruitment in hard-to-recruit areas."