Shropdoc and NHS 111 – future plans

Reports in the press indicate that Shropdoc will continue to run Shropshire’s out-of-hours GP service for at least two years following a vote by health chiefs.
But the service will go out to tender in 2018 and other companies will be invited to bid for the contract, despite protests from residents who want to see Shropdoc retained.
As part of the changes, people will be asked to ring the NHS 111 number from October for non-emergency care.
Shropdoc’s chief Dr Russell Muirhead is said to be “very pleased and relieved” at the announcement that the not-for-profit company would be running the service until at least 2018.
Shropdoc will have an “extremely good case” to put forward that it should be allowed to continue providing the out-of-hours GP service in the county when the contract comes up for grabs, its chairman has said.
To read more, see these articles from the Shropshire Star here and here