THE family doctor - like the vicar, postmaster, publican and local bobby - is one of the building blocks at the foundation of every community.

But as we have seen closures of pubs and post offices and church amalgamations with fewer clergy so harsh financial reality has also hit the general practitioner service.

This has made it more difficult for an area like East Lancashire to attract doctors to move in and establish a practice or join an existing one.

But one part of East Lancashire is hoping to launch a new scheme which will reverse any such trend by making the job more attractive.

Pilot schemes to establish 19 Personal Medical Services in Blackburn and Darwen promise to cut down form filling and other paperwork to free up medics to spend more time doing what they entered the profession to do in the first place - spend more time with patients.

Blackburn with Darwen Primary Care Trust has applied to the government to be one of the first in the country to set up the pilot schemes which will mean doctors will not have to apply for allowances but be salaried.

The schemes could also lead to more nurses being recruited into practices. Successful applicants will get "growth monies" which boost practices in socially deprived areas to expand and improve facilities.

Shortage of GPs is a national problem and East Lancashire has 15 vacancies out of around 279 GPs in 114 practices.

One effort tried earlier in the year - to recruit GPs from Spain - failed when none chose to settle here.

The new scheme will have extra carrots to attract medics, like East Lancashire having one of only 11 teaching trusts nationally and being part of a scheme to offer grants to renovate and modernise GP surgeries.

It's excellent that once again East Lancashire is at the forefront in pioneering new ways of solving problems. Such initiative richly deserves to be successful.