http://www.greatyarmouthmercury.co.uk/content/yarmouthmercury/news/story.aspx?br...

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11 October 2007

Overnight and weekend medical services in Great Yarmouth and Waveney will be taken over by a new provider next week.

Ipswich based TCN (Take Care Now Ltd), which has been providing out-of-hours services in Suffolk for 13 years and is accredited by the Department of Health, will take over the service from 6.30pm on Tuesday.

From 6.30pm on Tuesday, patients who need medical advice or help when their GP's surgery is closed should phone their surgery and will then either be passed automatically through to the out-of-hours service or given the appropriate number to call.

People who are temporary residents, on holiday in the area or who are not registered at a GP practice but who normally live in the area can contact the out-of-hours service by phoning 0844 736 9530 (local rate). This number can also be used by patients whose surgery number is not to hand.

“Out-of-hours” covers the period from 6.30pm to 8am Monday to Friday, 6.30pm Friday night to 8am Monday morning and public and bank holidays.

TCN will operate from bases in Lowestoft, Beccles and Great Yarmouth during weekdays and also from Halesworth and Southwold at weekends.

Depending on their condition, patients who contact the out-of-hours service will be given advice over the phone, asked to visit one of the bases to be seen by one of the healthcare professionals (doctors or nurses) on duty or will receive a home visit.

TCN will also provide palliative care to people with chronic conditions, medical cover for the minor injuries unit at Beccles Hospital at evenings and weekends, support to nursing staff working at nights and weekends in the community hospitals at Beccles, Halesworth and Southwold, and the GP beds at Northgate Hospital, and support to Blundeston Prison at night and weekends.

Patients who are suffering or calling on behalf of someone who is showing any of the following symptoms should call 999 immediately: chest pain, difficulty in breathing, loss of consciousness, severe loss of blood, severe burns and scalds, choking, fitting/convulsions, drowning, severe allergic reactions.

Patients who are not sure whether they need a doctor, or the most appropriate service for their needs, will still be able to call the 24-hours-a-day, seven-days-a-week nurse-led NHS Direct service on 0845 46 47.

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idb wrote on Oct 11^th, 2007 at 11:08pm:

Interesting - they've actually chosen an 0844 number which isn't 5p/minute at all times (BT charges 4p/minute at all times to call 0844 736 numbers).

Still a rip-off, but slightly less so.

pw4 wrote on Oct 12^th, 2007 at 2:29pm:


It is quite probable that they will have had to call an 0844 number in the first place,(to the docs surgery), and will then be given the 0844 number to call,  "(From 6.30pm on Tuesday, patients who need medical advice or help when their GP's surgery is closed should phone their surgery and will then either be passed automatically through to the out-of-hours service or given the appropriate number to call" ,

I can't see them giving an 01/02 number to call as that would defeat their revenue sharing,(greed), exercise and to "be passed automatically" if the patient had dialled an 01/02 number, there would be no revenue for them to share!