News of the latest shortage in the crisis-hit NHS will come as no surprise to many people in Sussex.

Anyone forced to wait for an appointment with their doctor already knows there are not enough GPs.

Patients are being forced to register with a doctor miles away because their local surgeries are oversubscribed.

Poor pay, long hours and unmanageable workloads are being blamed for the difficulty in attracting doctors to become GPs.

Hospital doctors are overstretched too but for many, the GP is the family car of the profession - functional, reliable and unglamorous.

They may not be on the cutting edge of medicine but they are on the front line of efforts to make this country a healthier place.