SEVERAL weeks after the launch of the new Integrated Urgent Care Service, which saw the amalgamation of the out-of-hours GP service and the 111 helpline, organisers have praised the service as a ‘success’.

The service, which launched on October 1, combines the out-of-hours GP service and the NHS 111 helpline and saw the removal of out-of-hours GPs based at Tavistock Hospital. The new service means patients only have to deal with one system, which is said to make it quicker and easier to get the most appropriate advice and treatment.

Operated by Devon Doctors, it allows 111 call handlers to make GP appointments directly, which wasn’t the case before. If patients need to see a GP, they either get an appointment at a treatment centre no more than 30 minutes away, or receive a home visit.

When the new service was proposed, Tavistock residents and local GPs expressed great concern that there would be no GPs based at Tavistock Hospital during evenings and weekends, meaning people needing a face-to-face appointment would have to travel to Derriford Hospital or Okehampton Hospital. It was thought that the reduced service would cause delays and increase pressure on other already stretched services.

A petition was launched in August in a bid to save the out-of-hours GP service, which amassed more than 1,300 signatures in just a few days and was presented to the NHS Northern, Eastern and Western Devon Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG).

However, since the launch, Devon Doctors has said that patients were ‘feeling the benefits’ of the new service.

Dr Justin Geddes, chief executive of Devon Doctors, said: ‘We’re delighted with how the integrated urgent care service has started and feedback from patients has been hugely positive.

‘The out-of-hours and 111 helpline services are closely linked. By bringing them together, we’re giving patients a better and more efficient service. As well as providing the best care possible, it will also allow us to make the very best overall use of GPs’ time and other available resources.

‘Devon Doctors is strongly placed to make this service a success. We had an excellent record operating the previous out-of-hours Devon GP service, which shows we understand patterns of care and the needs of people across the county.

‘We’re also a non-profit organisation made up of Devon GPs. This means we’re not run to make money and every decision we take is in the interest of patients.’

The out-of-hours GP service makes GPs available for telephone consultations, treatment centre appointments and home visits. It’s for people whose health needs cannot wait until their usual GP surgery is open.

NHS 111 is a free to use number, available 24-hours a day, seven-days a week. It is for patients who need to see a GP but are unable to get to one — if the practice is closed for example.