Introduction
Out-of-hours GP services provide urgent primary care
when GP surgeries are closed, typically from 6.30 pm to 8.00 am
on weekdays and all day at weekends and bank holidays. In 2013-14,
out-of-hours GP services in England handled around 5.8 million
cases at an estimated cost of £400 million. Since 2004, GPs
have been able to opt-out of providing out-of-hours care and most
have done so. In these cases clinical commissioning groups are
responsible for commissioning services. Around 10% of GPs have
retained responsibility for out-of-hours care and NHS England
commissions these services directly from the GP practices concerned.
The Department of Health (the Department) is ultimately responsible
for securing value for money for spending on health services and
has set national quality requirements for all out-of-hours GP
services. NHS England is accountable to the Department for the
quality and value for money of out-of-hours GP services.
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