DOCTORS in Crook are among the first in the county to extend their surgery using a Government private funding scheme.

A £1m project to more than double the size of the Hope Street surgery has been approved by the Durham Dales Primary Care Trust.

The North House GP practice is teaming up with developers Trinity Medical Properties under a Private Finance Initiative (PFI).

The development will offer patients new consulting and treatment rooms, a fully-fitted minor operations suite, improved disabled access and better facilities for children and elderly people.

If planning consent is granted, work could start on the new building in autumn, ready for an opening date next summer.

Andrew Kenworthy, the trust's chief executive, said: "Patients today expect to visit their own doctor in a modern purpose-built facility with a pleasant welcoming environment.

"The primary care trust fully supports the GP practice's proposals for the new facility and the plans to increase the range of medical services on offer."

Under PFI, private companies build new facilities, including hospitals and schools, in return for an annual charge. The £67m Bishop Auckland General Hospital was one of the first major PFI projects in the country.