Doctors and Darlington Primary Care Trust are leading a campaign to tackle coronary heart disease, cancer, diabetes, respiratory disease, high blood pressure, strokes, asthma and epilepsy.
A patients database will be drawn up so each surgery knows which people are living with long-term illnesses.
Patients will undergo programmes of care including regular check-ups.
Trust clinical governance manager Liz Graham said: "People living with diabetes, for instance, will receive from the GP practice a structured health check every year."
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