Patients who consult their GP over coughs and colds are having a disastrous impact on the NHS, leading doctors said.

Yesterday, a report by the Self Care Campaign showed that one out of five GP appointments are taken by patients with minor sickness that could be self-treated.

Self Care Campaign reveals that the NHS is “the victim of a demand-led culture” which includes 51.4 million consultations per year for common treatment ailments. It plans to “educate people to manage minor ailments so that GPs and practice nurses’ time is freed up to look after more complex conditions”.

Back pain was the most common grievance followed by skin diseases, cough and cold.

Cancer Research UK says that dissuading patients from consulting their GP for a minor illness could mean early symptoms of serious ailments are being neglected.

A letter signed by 17 campaign advocates, delivered to The Times yesterday, revealed that we are now living in “a society in which the common disturbances to normal good health, such as coughs and colds, account for nearly one fifth of GP workload”.