GPs no longer have to provide 24-hour care

From October, patients who need attention out of hours or at weekends will call the Gloucestershire Ambulance NHS Trust's HQ in Gloucester.

In most cases, patients will then be referred to primary care centres based in hospitals.

The county-wide scheme, which involves a new call centre at the ambulance HQ, will officially start in December.

Surgery hours

Doctors at the care centres will decide whether to give advice over the phone or ask the patient to come in.

These care centres are due to open over a period of a month, starting on 4 October.

If a home visit is needed, the caller will be passed to the new mobile doctor service, also being run by the Ambulance Trust.

In their new contracts, GPs are no longer required to work outside of normal surgery hours.

Under the arrangements 300 primary care trusts around the country are responsible for providing out-of-hours primary care services.