MOST of the region is officially in the grip of a GP recruitment crisis, the Government has admitted.

There are 11 primary care trusts across the region on a list of "under-doctored" areas drawn up for MPs by the department of health.

Seven are in County Durham and Tees Valley; Middlesbrough, Langbaurgh, Sedgefield, North Tees, Hartlepool, Derwentside and Easington.

A further four are within Northumberland and Tyne and Wear strategic health authority; North Tyneside, Sunderland, Gateshead and South Tyneside.

This is despite a high-profile bid to import Spanish GPs in County Durham and a successful "career start" scheme designed to entice young doctors to the area.

Inclusion on the list, compiled from a survey taken in March, means there are fewer than 56 GPs for every 100,000 residents - the national average.

It suggests Government initiatives to boost GP recruitment - unveiled two years ago - have so far failed to tackle the problem.

Measures announced in November 2001 allowed every GP joining or returning to the health service a £5,000 "golden hello". That incentive is more than doubled, to £12,000, if the doctor opts to join a practice in an under-doctored area.

In a parliamentary answer, Health Minister John Hutton said increases of up to 30 per cent in primary care trust budgets could also be spent on extra GPs.

"Furthermore, £45m has been allocated over three years to improve GP training premises and increase capacity in under-doctored areas."

But the Liberal Democrats said the Government was paying the price of its failure to expand medical schools in past years.

A spokesman said: "Ministers must concentrate on improving the GP retainer scheme. Women who have taken career breaks must be given every encouragement to return. We also need to look at how retired GPs might be brought back to cover vacancies in the short term. General practice must be made a more attractive profession."

Vacancies in England and Wales rose by 31 per cent in a year - from 2,615 to 3,453. In addition, there were 3.3 applicants per post, compared to 4.4 per post a year ago.