Patients face surgery axe if they don't see their GP for five years

Under the initiative, those who have not seen their GP for five years will be sent two letters asking them to respond.

If they cannot be contacted to say they still wish to be registered with their doctor, they will be removed from the practice list.

However, almost 70 per cent of our readers have voted against the idea, with 68 per cent saying they do not agree with the policy.

One Facebook reader, Louise Cairns, said: "What a ridiculous idea. GP'S struggle to cope with seeing everyone who wants an appointment, never mind having to fit in people who don't."

But another reader, Toe Morley, said: "It's a good thing, to be honest, as a lot are still registered, even after moving away/abroad and this limits the number of surgery places."

GPs are paid for every patient on their list - on average, they receive funding of about £136 per registered patient.

NHS England has employed private company Capita to lead the drive - known as "list cleansing" - to cut costs to the NHS and ensure accuracy over which patients use which services.

The idea is to find out whether patients no longer require services or have moved house, left the country or died.

The Capita contract with NHS England states: "The supplier shall contact all GP practices in the eleventh month of every contract year requesting a list of all patients who are recorded as not having had contact with the GP practice in the past five years."

Capita will then contact each patient "within 10 working days" to confirm their "current address and registration details". If they do not respond, then the patient's record will be flagged for removal within six months.