DOCTORS will have the use of a private ambulance firm to transport patients to hospital in a bid to relieve pressure on 999 services.

The pilot scheme, allowing GPs to book safe and appropriate travel to any hospital, was introduced by Hambleton, Richmondshire and Whitby Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) on Monday (October 27) and will initially run until March 2015.

365 Response, a specialist service which manages 999 demand and patient transport services, has been commissioned to provide vehicles for the pilot scheme.

The pilot scheme comes as the Yorkshire Ambulance Service has faced criticism for its response times, with a 24 per cent hike reported in the last 12 months of people calling 999 across Richmondshire and Hambleton.

It is hoped the scheme will take pressure off YAS which has a target of reaching emergency call-outs within eight minutes 75 per cent of the time.

The transport service will only be available for clinicians in GP practices and is not directly accessible by patients.

It can be used when doctors make the decision that the patient does not require an emergency ambulance with paramedics, but still needs to get to hospital.

Currently, travel is provided for non-emergency patients in a paramedic-staffed ambulance within one to four hours – although these are often delayed if crews are called to acutely ill patients.

The new service has a response time target of a maximum of two hours.

A paramedic-staffed emergency ambulance crew will still be available to be booked by GPs if a patient is more seriously ill.

Dr Charles Parker, Topcliffe GP and HRW CCG governing body member, said: “The aim of this new service is to improve the quality of service our patients receive, and support Yorkshire Ambulance Service in delivering further improved 999 response times to patients across the area.

“It also aims to reduce the inconsistency in response and ensure every ambulance requested by a GP will receive the same skill set which is appropriate to their patient's clinical and mobility requirements.

“The CCG will be constantly monitoring activity during the pilot phase and speaking to clinicians and patients to see if the service provides the right support and an improved patient experience.”

Sarah Fatchett, managing director for 365 Response, said: “The aim of the NHS right now is to be creative, deliver great patient care and make sure resources are used in the best possible way.

“We are excited to be able to support HRW CCG with this brilliant innovation in ambulance care which, in turn, delivers additional support to the NHS ambulance service, enabling them to focus on critical emergency responses.”