EVERY new service needs time to settle down, to have unforeseen problems ironed out and the nuances of its operation tweaked to get the best result.

And so people should be prepared to give the Hambleton and Richmonshire Primary Care Trust the benefit of the doubt as new arrangements for providing emergency medical cover are introduced.

But, the tale related by Hawes businesswoman Ruth Annison gives cause for genuine concern. When a 75-year-old visitor fell in the main street on Easter Monday, the new arrangements did not work. And there have been other instances in the early days of the scheme which suggest that the teething problems are perhaps more deep-seated than that.

Lying at the heart of the concerns is the role of the doctors at the Aysgarth surgery. Historically, they have provided their own out-of-hours cover. They no longer do so and now callers to the out-of-hours service speak to someone, somewhere in North Yorkshire. It could be Catterick, it could be York. It doesn't inspire confidence in the Dales.

We are sure the service can be effective, but health chiefs need to be cautious about making promises, especially ones which suggest the service will be as good if not better than that previously provided. That has not been the case so far.

This is not a problem relating solely to the Dales. All over the country old arrangements for GP out-of-hours cover are being scrapped for new ones designed to cut family doctors' working hours.

The principle is right, but if the new order creaks like it has in Wensleydale this past few days the health service will have a disaster on its hands.