HEALTH bosses have expressed concern that budding family doctors are beginning to turn their backs on East Lancashire.

Richard Crail, chief executive of East Lancashire Health Authority, said he had no idea where the "next generation" of GPs were going to come from.

The set-up of GP training in the city medical schools has changed with the second "slot" of undergraduate training becoming optional.

John Haworth, the health authority's medical adviser, said that historically many GPs had settled in the towns where they completed their training.

He said the change in the training set-up could cause long-term problems in recruiting GPs to the district.

Mr Haworth added: "It is imperative we make East Lancashire attractive for GPs and get the undergraduates out here."

Mr Crail said other reasons for the potential shortage was the reduction in doctors from the Asian sub-continent. Several husband and wife GPs were also working towards retirement.

GPs' observer Dr Chris Ward said there was anxiety among his colleagues about recruitment. But he said there was also great enthusiasm to help the training of undergraduates.

Regional health bosses are also examining the possibility of recruiting associate physicians to become GPs.

Health authority chairman Bill Ashworth said three years ago the number of GP entrants was increasing, but it had now reached a "plateau."

He said: "There is no longer the rush to fill these roles that there was a couple of years ago.

"This reflects a national trend and the idea of associate physicians could be a useful way of targeting that difficulty."

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