call 111 for anything less than 999

Out of hours base moving but patients are still reminded to call 111 for anything less than 999

The base for the out of hours service in Great Yarmouth is moving on 6 October, but the service that patients receive will remain the same. 

Currently the out of hours service for Great Yarmouth is based at the Nelson Medical Centre, Pasteur Road in Great Yarmouth but from 6 October 2014 the service will be based at the James Paget University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.

As part of the move an additional GP will be available between the peak hours of 6.30pm until 12 midnight Monday to Friday and 8am until 12 midnight Saturday and Sunday and on Bank Holidays, enhancing the service offered to patients.  However patients are reminded that this is not a walk in service and patients will still need to call 111 when their surgery is closed.

NHS 111 is a free telephone number from a landline or a mobile for patients with urgent medical problems that cannot wait until the next day. Your 111 call will be answered by a trained call handler, whose job it is to ensure that you are given the right care at the right time and with the most appropriate local service.

For some patients the most appropriate care is to see the out of hours service. Those people will be given an appointment time and asked to attend the James Paget University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust instead of the Nelson Medical Centre. This is the only change that patients will see to the existing service.

Andy Evans, Chief Executive of NHS Great Yarmouth and Waveney CCG said: “This move means that we can improve the out of hours service offered to patients in the Great Yarmouth area by providing an additional out of hours GP during peak hours and at weekends.”

Ron Owttrim, Chief Executive of Integrated Care 24 Ltd, the social enterprise who provide the out of hours service said: “We are always looking at ways to work with our commissioners, partners and patients to improve access to healthcare. We look forward to working alongside our colleagues at the James Paget.”

Christine Allen, Chief Executive of James Paget University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said: “We are working closely with Great Yarmouth and Waveney CCG and IC24, the out of hours service provider, to improve access for patients which will be helped by relocating the service to the James Paget site.”

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