PATIENTS in Gravesham and Dartford will be able to get medical advice more quickly, thanks to a government pilot scheme.

An out-of-hours call system for north Kent residents wanting to contact their family doctors has been set up by the Government. The system, which will be run by 90 experienced nurses, will be based in Chatham and will supplement the Dartford and Gravesham Doctors On Call (DAGDOC) service.

The way the call centre will work is, patients will call their surgery's out-of-hours number and be transferred to the call centre where they will receive advice from nurses and be directed to the best place for treatment. It is the only pilot scheme running in the three counties of Kent, Sussex and Surrey.

A spokesman for Dartford, Gravesham and Swanley Primary Care Trust, which applied for the pilot scheme to be run in north Kent, says the system can only improve the health service for patients.

He said: "This pilot scheme is good news for the people of Dartford and Gravesham because it can only reduce the amount of time people are waiting for medical advice out-of-hours because there are more nurses taking calls."

December 3, 2001 14:40