COLNE Valley Labour MP Kali Mountford is calling on the government to redouble efforts to recruit more family doctors.

One GP vacancy was advertised for 18 months in the Colne Valley because of the shortage.

And Huddersfield is currently lacking about eight GPs.

Ms Mountford praised Health Secretary Dr John Reid in the House of Commons for his efforts to recruit more GPs.

But she urged him: "Will you redouble your efforts with the Royal Colleges and British Medical Association to improve capacity yet further?"

Dr Reid told the House there were more general practitioners in training now - 2,157 - than there had ever been in the country's history.

But he added: "There is no doubt in my mind that we need to achieve a great deal more than that, not least because of the under-investment during the 20 years before the government took office."

Ms Mountford said students in medical school ended up working in hospitals although most people thought of their GP when speaking of doctors.

She said: "We need more GPs so it is really important that being a GP is seen as a positive choice and that we do what we can to encourage medical students to serious consider it as an option."