FIVE GPs have been employed in a bid to improve out-of-hours doctors services in part of the county.

They have been recruited by Hambleton and Richmondshire Primary Care Trust (PCT) to help cover gaps in the out-of-hours rota in Northallerton.

The PCT's director of primary care, Madeline Ruff, made the announcement yesterday at a meeting called by the county council to discuss out-of-hours arrangements.

She said: "GPs in Northallerton made it very clear to me at Christmas that most of them wanted quality of life and we agreed to recruit additional GPs.

"Five salaried GPs have now been recruited. We have employed locums (in the past), but it is not as good as employing local doctors who know the area and understand the culture of our primary care trust."

It was also announced that Tees East and North Yorkshire Ambulance Service is to place an extra paramedic at the ambulance station in Bainbridge.

The meeting was called by the council's scrutiny of health committee to try to address public concerns about the GP out-of-hours system.

Primary care trusts took over the running of the service late last year after North Yorkshire Emergency Doctors went into administration.

Representatives of GPs attending the meeting criticised the new system, claiming doctors were being approached in their own homes by people sick of waiting for a response to their call.

The issue has caused particular controversy in Ripon, after the Craven, Harrogate and Rural District Primary Care Trust announced plans to slim down the service, with a GP being available at Ripon Community Hospital on weekend mornings only, instead of on weekday evenings and until 9pm at weekends.

Eleven GPs met with officials from the trust on Tuesday night after local MP David Curry described the two sides as being "at war".

The GPs tabled new data indicating that the amount of out-of-hours work for GPs in the area is much greater than the PCT believes.

Penny Jones, chief executive of the trust, said: "New information about the numbers of patients being treated out of hours at Ripon Community Hospital has been discussed.

"Following the new information, arrangements for the rota at Ripon Community Hospital will remain the same as it is now."