Two leading Hertfordshire doctors have told councillors that GP practices are at "breaking point" – highlighting rising demand and staff shortages.

GP Nicolas Small said that his practice, Schopwick Surgery in Elstree, could receive in excess of 800 calls from patients per day – and he outlined the "frantic" nature of surgery life.

He said the intensity of their 12-hour days at the surgery was so much that it could feel like being in A&E.

Dr Small, who is also chairman of the Herts Valleys Clinical Commissioning Group, said: "When you are there in the heat of the day it feels like you are going non-stop for about 12 hours – the idea of a lunch break has long gone.

"It’s so rapid – and that has changed so much over 25 years. The pace of general practice is so rapid that you might as well be in accident and emergency – as that’s how it feels."

Dr Small pointed to the hundreds of calls made to the surgery a day, where patients may have waited a long time to be answered and may be "frustrated" or "abusive".

And he says that while he loves his job, that level of demand is "unsustainable", pointing to a general practice teetering on the point of mass resignations.

Related: Health body responds to calls for new GP surgery in Borehamwood

Meanwhile GP Prag Moodley, who chairs the East and North Herts Clinical Commissioning Group, catalogued a typical 12-hour day at his own Stevenage practice, at Hertfordshire County Council's GP access topic group meeting on October 15.

He pointed to time dealing with test results, prescriptions and arranging home visits, as well as enquiries and referrals from contacts from ambulance crews, hospital consultants and NHS 111, in addition to patient appointments.

And he said general practice was "at breaking point".

Data presented to the topic group by director of primary care in Hertfordshire Avni Shah suggested that through the pandemic 2.8 million appointments in Hertfordshire had been face to face – and 2.4m on the phone.

And while the report accepted that face to face appointments reduced last year, this year they are said to be in excess of 51 per cent.

It was also reported that half of all patients are now given an appointment on the same day.

Patients have complained that it’s hard to get through to GPs and councillors were told GP phone lines are overly subscribed and, at times, have been unable to cope with demand.

David Evans. managing director of the Herts Valleys Clinical Commissioning Group, promoted the use of Think 111 First – as a way of ensuring that patients are directed to the right service.

And it was also suggested that patients should see a pharmacist or use online resources, rather than contact their GP with a minor issue – and that they should not call their practice about queries relating to vaccination bookings.

One of the main issues raised by councillors was the long telephone waits faced by patients calling up to make an appointment.

The day-long topic group was designed to allow councillors to scrutinise the challenges facing GP surgeries and primary care, the ways primary care is managing demand and how issues will be resolved.

Following the meeting, councillors will draw up a number of recommendations.