A DOCTOR from Europe drafted in to help cope with demand for a new out-of-hours medical service was sent home after patients complained about his work.

The medic was enlisted to help cope with demand for the new Dorset Emergency Care Service that was launched last Friday to provide out of hours GP coverage for patients across Dorset during the evenings and at weekends.

A patient left waiting for hours told the Echo that delays were made worse because a doctor helping to cover the Dorchester and Weymouth area was not up to scratch, forcing other health workers to check up on his work.

The patient, who asked not to be named, said she waited five hours to see a doctor after calling the helpline.

When they arrived they told her that there had been problems with a doctor from Germany who had been drafted in for the scheme.

She said her own GP surgery later confirmed the details.

"I was told that other doctors had to revisit patients to check they received the correct treatment," she said.

Users of the new out-of-hours service, which is managed by Dorset Ambulance NHS Trust, on behalf of the five Dorset primary care trusts, have already criticised it for long delays between contacting call centre staff to receiving a visit from GPs as well as the level of treatment received.

Claire Warner, spokesman for the Dorset primary care trusts, admitted in a statement from the PCTs and the Dorset Ambulance NHS Trust that there were teething problems during the first weekend and that foreign medics had been used.

She said 260 doctors are working for the Dorset Emergency Care Service, the majority being locally based GPs who have volunteered to do a number of shifts as part of the scheme. Two doctors have also been recruited from Europe.

She said: "Over this first weekend the service experienced unexpected exceptionally heavy demand - three times the volume of calls anticipated.

"This resulted in delays for some patients. Extra staff and managers were brought in to assist with the workload and to ensure that all patients received the level of care required.

"One of the European doctors who had been working in the communications control centre was dispatched to support local GPs working in the Weymouth and Dorchester areas.

"When concerns were raised about the doctor's level of fitness and standard of work, he was sent home."

She said other staff checked patients and that no patients received sub-standard care as a result of this.

Mrs Warner said Dorset Ambulance NHS Trust is investigating the concerns and will implement any changes when this is complete.

She added: "The Dorset Ambulance NHS Trust has already taken action to look at management procedures during times of exceptional demand.

"The Dorset Emergency Care Service wishes to apologise to those patients who were kept waiting as a result of the high levels of demand and would like to reassure all Dorset residents that the service will continue to improve and all patients will receive the care they need."