DOCTORS' surgeries in Darlington have received more than £200,000 in the last year for extra staff and equipment.

The town's 11 GP practices will receive the same amount again if they continue to reach targets.

The funding has come from Darlington Primary Care Trust to enable surgeries to improve the services they offer to patients.

The trust's director of primary care, Carole Harder, said: "There is a lot of money being invested in primary care, money that rewards GP practices' hard work and that will benefit the public."

Surgeries have spent the money on health promotion, extending nurses' hours, employing health care assistants, specialist clinics and reducing waiting times.

A trust spokesman said all the surgeries were expected to reach the targets set by the trust this year, so would receive the same amount of money again.

Improvements will include:

* Extra appointments, diabetic clinics and sessions at Neasham Road Surgery to help patients give up smoking.

* Maintaining specialist coronary heart disease, asthma and elderly specialist clinics at Netherlaw Surgery.

* Setting up a mental health register and reviewing the repeat medications of patients over 65 at Moorlands Surgery.

* Extra nurse-led clinics at Whinfield Surgery.