An out-of-hours provider in Norfolk has admitted GP shortages have forced it to run services with only one GP for 850,000 patients on at least one overnight shift.
It comes as the CQC confirmed it was planning to carry out an inspection of the service – run by Integrated Care 24 (IC24) – at the request of former care minister and local MP Norman Lamb.
The problems have emerged as the local CCG stepped in to investigate complaints about the quality of the service provided during the month of January.
NHS Norwich CCG said it carried out an ‘unannounced visit’ to IC24 after reports of concerns, including that a ‘depleted GP workforce’ was impacting on the quality and clinical safety of the service and that ‘assessors were made aware of situations when only one or two GPs were available for Norfolk and Wisbech’.
Full story in Pulse 18 February 2016