What steps it is taking to improve the provision of out-of-hours medical cover in remote and rural areas as suggested in the "Team Working"…

The Remote and Rural Areas Resource Initiative's (RARARI) Solutions Group report identifies team working as the key to many solutions to the provision of out-of-hours cover in remote and rural areas. The report was intended to stimulate interest within NHS Boards in piloting some of the work suggested. RARARI has received a number of responses and will take them forward in due course. The Scottish Health Plan requires Boards serving rural areas to draw up plans for rolling out good practice from RARARI projects. In addition, as part of the negotiations on a new GP contract, the NHS Confederation and the UK General Practitioners Committee are setting up a working group to take forward how the new contract would operate in remote and rural areas, including issues relating to out of hours cover. The working group will meet in and be run from Scotland.