NHS bosses will press ahead with plans to remove GP out of hours services from hospitals in Lanarkshire.

 

The moves come following a review onto the delivery of the service which recommended shifting the services from Wishaw General, Hairmyres and Monklands hospitals.

NHS Lanarkshire will run the services from at Douglas Street Community Health Clinic in Hamilton and Airdrie Community Health Centre.

The plans had attracted criticism from those who argued that some patients will have increased distances to travel to access out of hours services.

NHS Lanarkshire decided to hold a public consultation which attracted thousands of comments and ended last month.

But the health board have now announced that they will carry out the initial recommendations.

They add that when the results of an ongoing national review into the services are known they will follow guidance from this.

Calum Campbell, chief executive of NHS Lanarkshire said: "Our business continuity arrangements need to be enhanced to improve patient safety pending the outcome of the national review.

"An interim service model based at Airdrie Health Centre and Douglas Street Clinic in Hamilton will provide opportunities to improve the safety of the current service.

"It will provide the optimum level of accommodation to expand the service in line with the feedback we have received through the consultation phase. "The interim service will be kept under constant review and we will undertake a full review, with public involvement, within six months.

"When the national recommendations are known we will seek to implement these as soon as possible."