A GP-run pilot scheme designed to increase the number of ambulances available to take urgent cases to hospital is being tried out in North Yorkshire.

The scheme, the first of its kind in the country, has been introduced by Hambleton, Richmondshire and Whitby Clinical Commissioning Group (HRW CCG) as a way of increasing capacity, reducing delays and providing a more appropriate service.

A private ambulance company called 365 Response, has been commissioned by the CCG to provide the service.

It will provide GPs with an alternative to using an emergency ambulance and will ease the pressure on Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust. The pilot covers transport from any location when booked by a GP to hospital.

The service will be offered to all GP practices in the HRW CCG area and will run initially until the end of March 2015.

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

A GP would call on 365 Response once he or she has made the clinical decision that the patient does not require an emergency ambulance response but still needs transferring to hospital.

Currently, patients are transported by a paramedic-staffed ambulance and in the majority of cases a paramedic is not needed.

The current response time is between one and four hours and is often delayed while ambulance crews attend more acutely ill patients. The new service has a response time target of a maximum of two hours.

In cases where patients need to be cared for by a paramedic an emergency ambulance crew will be called by GPs.

Dr Charles Parker, Topcliffe GP and HRW CCG governor, 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 that every ambulance requested by a GP will receive the same skill set on every occasion which is appropriate to their patient's clinical and mobility requirements.

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