Out of hours service to expand in Dumfries and Galloway

The people of Galloway will not only have Out of Hours access to a doctor but to a whole range of health services, including care workers and chemists.

Making the medical out-of-hours service better is the task of Di Anderson

This pledge was made by the joint NHS/council Dumfries and Galloway Health and Social Care Partnership following a meeting at which a major expansion of the overnight and weekend service was agreed.

Di Anderson is Interim Out of Hours Service Manager and she said: “We’re very excited by moves which will go on to establish a much more ulti-professional approach to Out of Hours.

“This reflects work which is already taking place within primary care as a result of implementing the new national GP contract. That transformation in primary care is seeing responsibility for work such as blood tests and vaccinations transferred to the health and social care partnerships.

“And this approach which sees health professionals helping meet the needs of patients is increasingly being seen in other areas, including Emergency Departments. People will be well aware that Dumfries and Galloway faces the same difficulties around GP recruitment as the rest of Scotland.

“And providing an Out of Hours service across what is sometimes a sparsely populated rural area can be a challenge.”

Although more health professionals will be joining the Out of Hours Service in the future, the means of accessing the service will continue as before. by phoning NHS24 on 101.