She added: "It is vital to ensure that patients are able to access their local GP quickly and effectively - just as it is important for hospitals to have adequate numbers of qualified consultants to look after patients who are in need of acute health care.
"We need to ensure that we have enough GPs to provide patients with good access to high-quality health care in local communities across the UK."
Last year 26.2 million people waited more than a week to see their GP, with a further 800,000 likely to face the same delay in 2014, according to the RCGP.
The RCGP published figures showing that three extra hospital consultant jobs are being created for every GP job.
Just 11 years ago there were 2,500 more full-time GPs than hospital doctors
Last year, there were 31,700 GPs compared to 38,200 hospital doctors, a difference of 6,500.
The RCGP expects the gap to widen further, with a predicted 37,000 GPs and 59,000 hospital doctors by 2022.
The falling proportion of GPs has coincided with a decline in the proportion of the NHS budget spent on general practice, the RCGP said, which has dropped to just 8.39 per cent despite GPs being responsible for 90 per cent of patient's contact with the NHS.
The only way to cut down on the lengthy waits is to increase spending on general practice to 11 per cent by 2017, starting with an increase of one per cent of the NHS budget next year, it advised.
Dr Baker said: "Most people want to be looked after in their local community and they want to be able to see their GP quickly. The dramatic diversion of doctor posts away from general practice into hospitals works against this fundamentally important principle.
"Ministers say repeatedly that we need to alleviate pressure on hospitals by delivering more care in the community, yet the numbers of posts being created for consultants and GPs is completely at odds with this."
Patricia Wilkie, chairwoman of the National Association for Patient Participation, said: "Patients greatly value being able to consult with and speak to their GP who is local, who knows the patient and their family and whom the patient trusts.
"Sadly very many patients are increasingly having to wait for one to two weeks and sometimes longer to see their GP.
"Unless there is an increase in the overall numbers of GPs and more financial resources to practices to employ more GPs to provide a safe and timely service, patients will have no alternative but to use A&E to receive the medical attention they need."
Health Minister Dan Poulter said: "The recent GP survey showed that 86 per cent of patients rate their overall experience of their GP practice as good.
"To better support GPs, we have announced a £50 million fund for innovative GP practices to improve access for their patients so that working people and people who lead busy lives will have better access to GP services.
"Our new GP contract will also introduce more personalised care for vulnerable older people and same-day telephone consultations for the most vulnerable patients on practice lists."
He said the Government had committed to increasing the number of GP trainees from 40 per cent of all newly-qualified doctors leaving medical school to 50 per cent by 2020.
Labour blamed the waits on the government's decision to scrap a target that guaranteed patients a GP appointment within 48 hours.
Source : http://telegraph.feedsportal.com/c/32726/f/568612/s/352ab33b/sc/14/l/0L0Stelegraph0O0Chealth0Cnhs0C10A5370A940CPatients0Ewill0Ewait0Eat0Eleast0Ea0Eweek0Eto0Esee0EGP0Ein0E20A140Eit0Eis0Eclaimed0Bhtml/story01.htm