Still wanted: GP for a Cumbrian practice that has waited nine months

Surgery in isolated market town has had no applicants, leaving one doctor serving a population of 2,000

Nestled among towering Cumbrian hills and accessible by just a handful of roads, Alston Moor is said to be the highest market town in England. There are few amenities on the doorstep - getting a takeaway delivery is out of the question - so it may not immediately seem like the most desirable place for a doctor to settle down, especially if they are used to the hustle and bustle of a city.

But what may have been a bit of a challenge in the past has now become a major headache for the town, one of the most remote places in England, which is in desperate need of a GP. A nine-month-long search has so far yielded not a single application.