A GOVERNMENT plan to allow all out of hours calls to doctors to be dealt with by the NHS Direct advice line has been welcomed by GPs.
If the proposal goes ahead, the NHS Direct telephone helpline will screen all calls for emergency and out of hours services in East Lancashire.
Advice over the telephone would be offered wherever possible with some cases being referred to the relevant out-of-hours service which would then ask patients to attend surgeries or offer home visits if necessary.
Dr Malcolm Ridgway, chairman of Blackburn and District Out of Hours Co-operative, said: "We are keen to bring this suggestion into practice."
Jill Stringer, director of NHS Direct, said: "Plans are already well advanced to make NHS Direct available throughout East Lancashire before the end of the year and I hope we can secure approval to deal with GP out of hours calls as well."
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