DOCTORS in Sunderland are being given extra NHS cash to help recruit more staff.
Designed to improve primary health care standards for patients, £200,000 is being made available for support staff, allowing GPs to recruit more practice nurses, or extra clerical staff.
The money is going directly to doctors in south Sunderland, but other grants could follow in other areas.
As well as enabling surgeries to hold more clinics for heart disease and other health problems, extra staff will also improve office information technology and record systems, to provide better patient services.
Sunderland South Primary Care Group (PCG) is contacting GPs responsible for around 100,000 people in the area to ask how the cash will be best used by different practices.
Sue Lothian, chief executive of Sunderland South PCG, said: "These Government funds represent part of the process to modernise the NHS, and will be used to create new posts, or provide additional hours for existing staff.
"It will be up to the individual practices to decide and agree with the PCG how they will use the money, depending on their own needs and those of the communities that they serve.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article