There is growing frustration among civic chiefs that they have to wait 15 months before they can change the “poor” out-of-hours GP service provider in Gloucestershire.

Councillors responsible for scrutinising the county’s health services say there are serious issues with the out-of-hours GP service.

And they highlighted at a recent meeting the poor track record Practice Plus Group (PPG) has in providing the service.

The issue was raised recently in a public question by resident Keith Smith who raised concerns about the sustained and significant flaws which the Care Quality Commission (CQC) has identified with the service.

He asked if PPG’s contract to provide the service should be cancelled and transferred to a different provider.

Speaking at yesterday’s health overview and scrutiny committee, vicechairman David Drew (L, Stroud Central) asked for clarity from health chiefs regarding the out-of-hours GP service contract.

“It would help if you gave us a clear view of what’s happening. On one hand I got the feeling you were re-negotiating with PPG to try and get them to improve it but on the other you’re going to re-tender anyway. I don’t quite see how the two fit together. If we’re going to re-tender we are not satisfied with them.”

Deputy CEO of NHS Gloucestershire Integrated Care Board Ellen Rule said they did not see the two as incompatible with each other. She explained the process would take 15 months and they want to improve the service in the meantime.

“We have reached the time naturally that we would seek to re-procure and re-specify the out of hours service with the best interest of the population.

“That’s in line with the transformation approach that I talked about last time that we came to the committee. The timeline is long. If we look at starting in the next month, it will probably be about 15 months before they can mobilise a new arrangement.”

She said the ICB is not content to “just sit and not do any work to improve the service” and explained that CQC action plan and performance improvement plan would be acted upon.

Chairman Andrew Gravells (C, Abbey) said he wanted to see regular reports on progress made to improve the situation with PPG.

He asked if 15 months was really how much notice must be given to terminate a contract and go out to re-tender.

“Given that we have had a succession of CQC reports, which time after time, after time, says about this out-of-hours service in Gloucestershire, requires improvement, requires improvement, requires improvement, requires improvement, requires improvement, how on earth can it take up to 15 months before we have a new service provider in place?

“Is there no way at all of shortening that? We have a serious issue with our out of hours service here in Gloucestershire.”

Ms Rule said they have given the notice that they are starting the process and have been advised that 15 months is the timeframe it takes to run the legal process of retendering. “We are working within the tightest timeframe that we have to us,” she said.

PPG bosses previously told council chiefs that they have brought in subject matter experts from other parts of their organisation to deal with specific recommendations brought by the CQC inspection.

They say the experts are helping the local team to help them achieve best practice.