In April 2009 CueDoc and Baycall merged to form Cumbria Health on Call (CHoC), a not for profit organisation serving patients and visitors to the whole of Cumbria, up to the Scottish Borders, Carlisle, Eden Valley, Solway, West Coast, South Lakes and across to Barrow-upon-Furness which equates to 498,300 population. Cumbria Health on Call also cover a population of approximately 7000 patients in North Yorkshire and 2,268 square miles in total.

The two main population areas are Carlisle and Barrow with a spread of population across the county. 51% of the population live in rural communities compared with 19% average in England. Cumbria has 24 specific communities that are in the 10% most deprived in England and Wales, of which seven are in the worst 3%. Life expectancy in a female is 78.1 years and 81.7 years in a male.

CHoC has a team of salaried and sessional GPs, triage nurses and nurse practitioners. The operation covers seven locations across the county. CHoC are co-located next to an A&E Department and various primary care facilities within community hospitals. There are twelve fully equipped vehicles on the road to meet the challenges of providing care to a rural community and also a remote prison. CHoC provide step up, step down care to ten community hospitals and two PCT wards within the Acute Trust setting.

CHoC also run a successful GPR programme, investing in five days training per year to equip GPRs to work solo during the OOH period.

Investment in training to deliver clinicial pathways, i.e. DVT pathway has saved the Cumbria health economy consistently over the last four years.

A rolling training programme is in place for all clinical staff which includes Telephone Consultancy, the Sick Child and Palliative Care.

www.chocltd.co.uk