CONCERNS over the out of hours service at Okehampton Hospital are to be discussed at a public meeting in the town.
The meeting, involving the town council, the Primary Care Trust and Devon Doctors, is set for Monday March 2 at 7.30pm in the town hall, and follows some complaints about the service.
Devon Doctors stressed that the out of hours provision does not shut at 10pm and are keen for people to benefit from the service.
But town mayor Cllr Kay Bickley said: 'We have had a lot of complaints from residents and councillors who have all experienced difficulties when using the out of hours service at the hospital, which is frequently shut before 10pm.
'Sometimes people who are not well or have had an accident feel silly calling the emergency services but still need to be treated.
'If the night time provision is not available, they are told to travel all the way to Tiverton and that is not always easy, especially if you are in pain.'
Cllr Bickley said residents of Okehampton and the surrounding area needed to feel they could rely on the service.
'People need to know the out of hours facility is available 24 hours a day and that means it should be there to use after 10pm.
'We want to invite the public to the meeting to weigh up how they find the facilities and to see what can be done to improve them.'
One resident who experienced a problem is Sheila Thompson from Okehampton. She said: 'A few weeks ago my daughter cut her hand quite badly on an old tin opener.
'We didn't feel right calling the emergency services but when we tried to use the out of hours facility at the hospital we found there was no doctor available and were told to drive to Tiverton.
'When you have a hospital that offers an out of hours service, you don't expect to be told to drive miles to another town.'
Chief executive of Devon Doctors Chris Wright said: 'The out of hours service does not shut at 10pm and I am concerned that Okehampton residents do not get this impression as this may result in people who need our service not benefiting from it.
'The population of Devon has access to a GP throughout the out of hours period, including overnight. Devon Doctors organises the service around patient demand and consistently meets stringent national quality standards.'
Mr Wright said Devon Doctors was recently highlighted as one of the best out of hours GP services in the country in the recent Healthcare Commission Report into Urgent Care.
'There is a GP who works from our treatment centre in Okehampton Hospital to see people and to carry out home visits between 7pm and 11pm Monday to Friday, and 8am to 11pm on weekends. Demand is much lower during the overnight period of 11pm to 8am.'
Mr Wright said patients receive home visits at all times based on their clinical condition and not on their geographical location.
'It is worth noting that there is no difference in the visit rate to Okehampton patients overnight than the rest of Devon.'
Devon Doctors can be contacted through their practice number or on 0845 6710 270.
The meeting at the town hall will offer residents the chance to express any concerns they may have with the service.