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

No fewer than 11 primary care trusts across the region are on a list of "under-doctored" areas drawn up for MPs by the department of health.

Seven are in County Durham and Tees Valley; Middlesborough, Langbaurgh, Sedgefield, North Tees, Hartlepool, Derwentside and Easington. And 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 this year, means there are fewer than 56 GPs for every 100,000 residents - the national average.

And it suggests government initiatives to boost GP recruitment - unveiled exactly two years ago - have so far failed to tackle the problem.

Under measures announced in November 2001, every GP joining or returning to the health service receives a £5,000 "golden hello". And 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 also pointed to large increases of up to 30 per cent in primary care trust budgets, which could 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 across England and Wales had risen by 31 per cent in one 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.