GORDON Prentice is calling on ministers and health bosses to do more to attract young doctors into East Lancashire as an ever-increasing number of elderly GPs in the area retire.

The Pendle MP tackled Health Minister John Hutton on the issue this week. Mr Hutton told him that in the coming year 14 East Lancashire GPs were expected to retire with a further eight ready to go in 2003/2004.

There are 18 family doctors in the Pendle Primary Care Group aged over 55.

Mr Hutton said: "East Lancashire Health Authority are pursuing a number of initiatives both in the long and short term to help address the problems in recruiting and retaining GPs."

Mr Prentice said: "I have had discussions with the chair and chief executive of the new Pendle Primary Care Trust which gets up and running in April to see what more can be done to get young doctors to move into the area."