AN EMERGENCY meeting between NHS bosses and a district council has tried to reassure residents that a GP out of hours service will return – hopefully within a fortnight.

Hambleton, Richmondshire and Whitby Clinical Commissioning Group announced on Friday that the Richmondshire service, based at the Duchess of Kent Barracks in Catterick Garrison, was being moved after a MoD safety inspection rated the building sub-standard.

Despite, protests from Richmondshire councillors and residents, the service was moved to the Friarage Hospital, Northallerton - in the neighbouring Hambleton district.

No indication was given for how long residents must have to travel the extra 36 miles from Catterick Garrison to Northallerton and back.

But Dr Ros Tolcher, chief executive of service provider Harrogate and District Hospital Trust , told a special meeting of Richmondshire District Council’s scrutiny committee that she hoped the service would return to Catterick Garrison by November 11 where it would move to Harewood House surgery.

“We have been making plans to move back to the Harewood House surgery," she said. "But we can’t give a definite date yet.

“We then hope that in six to 12 months we can move the service to the Friary Hospital in Richmond.

“When we set the new services up we will be doubling them up with existing out of hours services so we know they are completely safe and running smoothly.”

Councillors Malcolm Gardner and Linda Curran expressed concerned that there had been no plan in place to move out of the Duchess of Kent Barracks as it had been known to be run down for years.

Cllr Helen Grant added many garrison families did not have the support of extended family and if partners in the Armed Forces were away, a lone parent might struggle with childcare as well as transport if they had to make a long journey.

Cllr John Blackie said the announcement of the removal of the service from Richmondshire last week had filled residents with fear because they were given no indication as to when, if ever, it would return.

He said: “We need better communication between us so we could have reassured people the service would not be out of the district for long."

CCG Chief Clinical Officer Dr Vicky Pleydell said she hoped to bring medical and social care services to the Friary Hospital, Richmond, as an out of hours centre.

She said: “We are 100 per cent committed to strengthening the out of hours in Richmondshire.”