NOTHING is ever perfect and there is always room for improvement, but there is a lot to be said for the service provided by the traditional doctors' surgery.

People get to know their family doctor and, in many cases, the relationship spans generations. Trust and understanding develops and there are clear advantages in the continuation of care.

We therefore view with concern the Government's rush to see new-style "supersurgeries"

opened in every part of the country under plans by health minister Lord Darzi.

Figures for the cost of the new health centres across the North-East and North Yorkshire are not yet available.

But in a place like Darlington, it is estimated £800,000 will have to be found from within the existing local health service budget.

We already know that primary care trust budgets are seriously over-stretched, leading to highly controversial postcode lottery decisions over the availability of life-enhancing drugs.

And, according to respected doctors on the front-line of providing a general practice service, the demand for the new-style health centres - manned by salaried doctors who will come and go - is simply not there.

Dr John Canning, who is based in the North-East and sits on the British Medical Association's national GP committee, has warned that doctors will end up "twiddling their thumbs" because the new health centres will be underused.

If that proves to be the case and crucial resources are needlessly diverted away from traditional surgeries at the heart of our communities, it will be a criminal waste of money.

With what appears to be significant opposition to the plans, we hope there is time for them to be reviewed.