PERFORMANCE: Pressure from patients and politicians helped to create a review of the out-of-hours medical service offered to people in Cornwall, according to an MP.

The Care Quality Commission carried out an inspection of out-of-hours services in the region last month.

Andrew George, Liberal Democrat MP for St Ives in Cornwall, has suggested that reports indicate doctor numbers were stretched in some cases, while some out-of-hours response times have been amended in the past.

The politician added that he has heard suggestions that non-clinical staff have previously been used by Serco, the firm which offers the service, to deal with calls.

He commented: “I have heard cases involving young infants and very old patients… Many of the relatives have come to me with concerns about the service.”

However, despite the claims put forward by the MP, Serco said the allegations are untrue and it continues to perform well.

Claims made by whistle-blowers led to an unannounced inspection of the Cornish service, the Guardian has reported. The paper reported claims that telephone helpline queues of up to 90 patients had been allowed to build up by Serco.

Cornwall and Isles of Scilly primary care trust director Bridget Sampson said: “We are confident the service is adequately resourced and meeting the required national quality standards.

“The contract provides a value-for-money, high quality service for patients, with equitable access to GP appointments out-of-hours.”

A spokesman from Serco said the Primary Care Foundation has previously stated that the Cornish service it provides is one of the UK’s top performers.

Topics