new out-of-hours health care services are to be introduced on Saturday.
New contracts for GPs mean that family doctors will be handing over the responsibility for providing out-of- hours services to Easington Primary Care Trust (PCT).
Patients seeking medical help will initially speak to an operator from Primecare, the organisation working with the PCT.
The operator will ask questions about their condition and this information will then be used to decide what service the patient needs.
In most cases, a doctor or nurse will call back to give advice. If it is decided that the patient needs to be seen a doctor or emergency care practitioner, they will be offered an appointment at Peterlee Community Hospital's Urgent Care Centre.
Dr Roger Bolas, chief executive of Easington PCT said: "It's important that patients realise if they need urgent health care during the out-of-hours period, they need to ring the new number.
For east Durham patients, the number is 0870 2406518.
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