GPs will be offered a £5,000 incentive to work in Worcester to tackle a critical shortage of doctors, it was announced today.

The Government has unveiled its "golden hello" scheme allowing the primary care group in the city to make the extra cash available.

The £5,000 incentive is on top of a standard £5,000 payment for every new general practitioner, regardless of where they work.

Health Minister John Hutton said the extra cash was recognition the area was "under-doctored".

Nationally, a total of 1,300 GPs will be eligible for the payments this year if they work in one of more than 250 areas identified by the Department of Health as needing special help.

The announcement follows evidence that shortages are now so severe in some parts of the country that family doctors have closed their lists.

Neill Bucktin, chief officer of Worcester's Primary Care Group, said there were definite issues which needed to be addressed in terms of GP recruitment.

"We haven't received any details of these 'golden hellos' as yet but would be interested to see the scope for the scheme in Worcester," he said.

The idea of "golden hellos" was first unveiled last March by Health Secretary Alan Milburn as part of a £135m drive to increase NHS staff numbers.

As part of the drive, the Government has pledged to provide an extra 2,000 GPs by 2004. The British Medical Association says 10,000 more are needed.

The package, agreed with the BMA, will also ensure that trainee GPs' pay increases in line with that of trainee hospital doctors.

And there will be increased funding to cover paying locums and for maternity, paternity and adoption leave.

"GPs have expressed concerns about workload, morale and recruitment and retention," said Mr Hutton.

"The Government, working with the profession, is determined to address these concerns head on.

"The "golden hellos", which will be paid to new family doctors from this month, will help bring more GPs into the health service.

Dr John Chisholm, chairman of the BMA GPs committee, said Britain was desperately short of GPs - and had been for many years.