What`s going on?
1st November 2002

Here is a copy of a letter from B&R PCT, to which members are invited to respond by 15th November at the latest. The 'event' mentioned in the letter will be on 22nd November 2002 at the Watch Oak, Battle, between 2.00 and 5.00pm. It has been requested that 2 or 3 RCL representatives could attend. Can you let Carol Tooth ( rcl@rdcvs.fsnet.co.uk ) know as soon as possible whether you would be in a position to attend.

A letter from Bexhill & Rother PCT

Dear Colleague,

GP Out of Hours Services

Many of you will be aware that the way GPs provide services out of hours (broadly during evenings and weekends) is likely to change in the near future.
At the moment, GPs are obliged to provide an out of hours service - this is care outside of normal surgery hours to patients whose condition is such that they cannot wait until the next surgery.
Of course, most GPs now work with out of hours co-operatives like SEADOC who organise such services on their behalf.
The government has proposed some changes that are currently being discussed with GP representatives. If agreed, these changes will mean that GPs will no longer be responsible for providing out of hours services. This responsibility will transfer to Primary Care Trusts (PCTs), who must put in place the necessary arrangements to ensure that patients needs are met.
This does not mean that GPs will no longer provide any services outside of surgery hours, rather that the responsibility for organising the se services will change.
With this in mind, the PCTs in East Sussex and East Kent are working together to agree the best plan for future arrangements. Changes to out of hours arrangements are unlikely to happen before 1st April 2004.
The existing GP Co-operatives are still likely to have a major role in the future. We want to work with them, GPs and patients to agree the best way forward.
This is also an opportunity to re-organise our local services.
For instance, we would like to work more closely with social services, mental health and emergency services to provide a more integrated service to patients out of hours.
We would also like to consider increasing the use of nurses (for) out of hours service.
To help us provide a service that meets the needs of our patients, we would like you to tell us what issues you feel should be addressed in any future planning of an out of hours service. We are undertaking a similar exercise with GPs and other health and social care professionals.
We will then pull this together in a summary and share this with you - we hope to run an event (details above) (at) the end of November at which you would be welcome to attend and hear more. If there are likely to be any significant changes, a fuller consultation will be undertaken following this event.
Please send your views to this office, either by post or email, no later than the 15 November 2002. I look forward to hearing from you.

Yours sincerely,

Simon Lawrence
Director of Health Development
Distribution: All patients who responding to the Bexhill & Rother Patient Survey interested in public involvement, Rother Community Links and local CHCs. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Please return Freepost in the envelope provided or email Rose.Penny@bar-pct.sthames.nhs.uk Name.............................................................................................. Address........................................................................................... ......................................................................................................

1. What issues do you feel should be addressed in any future planning of an out of hours service? (Please continue over page if there is not enough space)

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