SURGERIES across Darlington are to receive cash incentives in a bid to reduce hefty NHS prescribing costs and promote service development.

The scheme, proposed by Darlington primary care group (PCG) this week, will award practices up to £1,000 per full-time GP for hitting prescribing targets.

But patients have been assured there will be no cutting corners in the drive to boost efficiency.

Using prescribing data from October 2001 to March 2002, GP surgeries will be assessed against figures for the same period last year.

Improvements made will then be awarded points with each point worth £100 per GP, up to a maximum of £1,000.

The cash reward will then be used by the individual practice to make improvements in its patient services or facilities.

The PCG hopes the incentive scheme will encourage all doctors to adopt more cost-effective quality prescribing regimes.

The more efficient the prescribing, the more cash the PCG has to spend on local people needing drugs for cancer, HIV and coronary heart disease.

Since its inception two years ago, the PCG has noted a steady price rise of all generic drugs and the prescribing budget was in the red for most of last year.

However, hopes are high that this new scheme will reduce budgetary pressures without affecting quality patient prescribing across the town's 12 GP practices.

Head of the prescribing sub-committee given the task of blending the two together, is Dr David Russell of Orchard Court surgery.

He told the D&S Times: "Prescribing incentive schemes are an extremely successful way to promote quality prescribing for GPs in Darlington.

"The targets are decided by members of the prescribing sub-committee which includes GPs from every practice in the Darlington area.

"This is a very good example of how practices are working together to ensure patients get the best care.

"Quality prescribing often turns out to be the most cost effective treatment and the money saved can then be used for the benefit of other medical services across the town.

"It must be stressed, however, that in no way will this prevent patients from getting the best treatment for them.