Out of Hours Urgent GP Service Change

News - 15 March 2024

On behalf of Herefordshire General Practice, Taurus Healthcare who are involved in how the Out of Hours Urgent GP Service is delivered, is planning to move the service to a new location this autumn. Healthwatch Herefordshire will be undertaking public consultation to ensure any concerns are addressed.

The Out of Hours Urgent GP Service is an NHS service and helps patients from all parts of Herefordshire. The service is only available following referral by NHS111. It operates when your usual GP practice is closed. It is not the same as the routine weekend and evening appointments offered via your GP service at 10 different locations throughout Herefordshire. 

If you are referred to the Out of Hours Urgent GP Service, you may be asked to go to a face to face appointment. At the moment, this would be at Station Medical Centre in Hereford. However, plans are in place for the new location to be Nelson House on Whitecross Road which is a major route into the city.

As well as being the proposed new site for the Out of Hours Urgent GP Service, the building will be the new location for all Herefordshire General Practice collaborative services and their support staff. It will also provide accommodation for some community nursing colleagues, supporting our teams to join up the care they provide more easily.  This will enable a reduction in the number of buildings required and result in significant cost savings.

The new building will be adapted so that it is fully accessible for all patients, including those who have reduced mobility. The GP Out of Hours service will be accessed via a dedicated patient entrance, located next to ample car park spaces including disabled bays.

Taurus Healthcare do not expect the move to cause any major difficulties to patients however they are eager to get feedback from Herefordshire residents so that any concerns can be addressed. Subsequently, Healthwatch Herefordshire is carrying out a 6 week consultation which will include focus groups across Herefordshire and a survey which will be available online and in hard copy form. We encourage all residents to take part in the consultation and have their say.

Take the survey

To request a hard copy version of the survey or for a 1:1 conversation, you can contact the Healthwatch team on Tel: 01432 277044 or info@healthwatchherefordshire.co.uk 

As part of the public consultation, Healthwatch Herefordshire has already held 8 focus groups around the county. If you missed the opportunity to attend one of these, you can still share your views by completing our online survey 

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