AN extra GP surgery has been promised for a town which is already preparing to benefit from two new health centres.

New doctors will arrive in Accrington by spring 2008, as part of a scheme which will initially be overseen by the Department of Health.

Existing local GPs and practices will get the chance to make their bid for the new surgery - but private medical firms and doctors' co-operatives will also be invited to join the tendering process.

Health Minister Andy Burnham says the initiative - christened Fairness in Primary Care Procurement - will assist those areas which currently have the least available doctors.

East Lancashire boasts far fewer GPs, at 46.7 per 100,000 people, than the national average of 57.9, a deciding factor in Accrington being selected for the Whitehall venture.

Mr Burnham said: "GPs are largely providing a good service, but there are still areas where NHS patients cannot rely on traditional practices.

"We want to continue to help the NHS plug these remaining gaps by introducing these new services, reducing the pressure on existing practices and giving patients the choice they deserve."

New surgeries have also been promised in Bolton, Charlestown, Ashton-in-Makerfield, Golborne, Atherton and Leigh, among other areas.

The health centres have been told that they must offer flexible opening hours and extended service, including treatments for minor injuries.

Accrington will be well-placed to accommodate the new surgery, as it will soon be home to two new LIFT (Local Improvement Finance Trust) health centres on Paradise Street and Blackburn Road.

Currently under construction, the sites are set to open towards the end of this year or early next year.

The town is also home to East Lancashire's new dental health academy, which will house students from the University of Central Lancashire.

Adverts asking for expressions of interest in the new surgery are set to be placed in the medical trade press before the end of June to kickstart the programme.