Updated 20 July 2018
PDS Medical is registered with the Care Quality Commission to provide out of hours GP appointments to patients in the Lancaster area from one location:
- Bay Urgent Care, Royal Lancaster Infirmary, Ashton Road, Lancaster, LA1 4RP
We visited this location during our inspection.
PDS Medical is registered with the CQC to deliver the following regulated activities from Bay Urgent Care in Lancaster: Diagnostic and screening procedures; Transport services; triage and medical advice provided remotely; Treatment of disease, disorder or injury.
Patients can access the service via the 111 telephone service. The service is based in the Royal Lancaster Infirmary, on the ground floor close to the Emergency Department. They have appropriate access for patients with limited mobility. It operates seven days a week at the following times:
- Monday to Friday – 6.30pm to 10pm
- Saturday (and Bank Holidays) – 9am to 9pm
- Sunday - 9am to 8.30pm
Together with the out-of-hours service operated by PDS Medical in Morecambe, Bay Urgent Care is accessed by an average of 330 patients per week, both at the service locations and for home visits.
The service is commissioned by Morecambe Bay Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) to provide out-of-hours GP appointments to approximately 140,000 registered patients in the CCG. The geographical area covered by the service includes Morecambe, Lancaster and Carnforth and a range of urban and rural areas. It is a mixed population, with parts of Morecambe and Lancaster being considered areas of high deprivation. In general, people living in more deprived areas tend to have greater need for health services. Approximately 28% of the population is made up of university students.
The service employs three GPs, six nurse practitioners, eight drivers (four of whom also work as receptionists overnight) and eight receptionists across the sites in Lancaster and Morecambe. There is also a service manager and assistant service manager, as well as a central management team and a board of directors at PDS Medical. The service also employs sessional GPs and nurses.