EAST Lancashire patients are still waiting too long to see their doctors - despite new measures to reduce GP appointment waiting times.

Under Government guidelines, patients should be seen by a primary care professional within 24 hours of requesting attention and by a GP within 48 hours.

And while two out of East Lancashire's three Primary Care Trusts hit those targets, criticism has still been aimed at the amount of time some patients need to wait for an appointment.

In March this year Blackburn with Darwen Primary Care Trust "underachieved" when it failed to reach the national target. However neighbouring Hyndburn and Ribble Valley PCT and Burnley, Pendle and Rossendale PCT did hit their targets.

Since April a 'directed enhanced scheme' has been introduced to shorten waiting times and provide a more efficient service for patients receiving primary care right across the area.

It involves initiatives like arranging more appointments for busier times of the week, and more over the phone consultations.

But many say the new system has yet to produce results.

Stephen Morton, director of public health for Hyndburn and Ribble Valley Primary Care Trust (PCT), said some areas in East Lancashire were still suffering from a shortage of GPs.

He said: "We do have a problem in this area with getting to see a GP.

"There are still not enough doctors in the area per head of population, which can mean that doctors have longer waiting lists."

Pensioner Sigrid Green, 83, was disgusted with the wait to see her own doctor after she was told as a non-emergency appointment, she would only be seen eight days after requesting her GP's help.

Miss Green, of Richmond Terrace, Darwen, said: "The service provided by GPs these days absolutely stinks.

"I am 83-years-old, have had cancer and a heart by-pass and yet I am expected to wait for over a week to get an appointment to see my own doctor. I know there is a shortage of doctors nationally but something must be done to improve the service that they provide because people's health is suffering."

Malcom Ridgeway, chairman of the professional executive committee for Blackburn with Darwen PCT, said: "Our problem in East Lancashire is that we are still under-doctored in this area - GPs are really thin on the ground.

"It seems that people don't want to come to work in this area as it is not perceived to be as attractive as a practice in other places.

"There is a lot of deprivation here and because of the shortage of doctors, GPs in the area are having to work really hard. We can only stretch so far and are having to implement schemes, such as the directed enhanced scheme, to look at different ways to deal with this problem and make surgery time more effective."