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A committee of MSPs has said a substantial degree of work needs to be done to re-build confidence in out-of-hours health care in rural areas.Reforms six years ago meant GPs were allowed to opt out of being on call.
The Scottish Parliament's health committee decided to investigate after complaints that standards had fallen.
It said NHS boards should be given the responsibility for delivering an out-of-hours service which met the needs of individual communities.
The health committee said services were not joined up.
Rural communities had little confidence in the medical helpline NHS 24, it found, and patients were confused about who they should contact.
The Scottish Ambulance Service was bearing the brunt of that confusion, the committee's report said.
According to the MSPs, the costs of providing out-of-hours care now varied wildly.This article is from the BBC News website. ? British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
The Scottish Parliament's health committee decided to investigate after complaints that standards had fallen.
It said NHS boards should be given the responsibility for delivering an out-of-hours service which met the needs of individual communities.
The health committee said services were not joined up.
Rural communities had little confidence in the medical helpline NHS 24, it found, and patients were confused about who they should contact.
The Scottish Ambulance Service was bearing the brunt of that confusion, the committee's report said.
According to the MSPs, the costs of providing out-of-hours care now varied wildly.This article is from the BBC News website. ? British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.