A comprehensive review has shown that patients on the east coast are receiving a much-improved out of hours service which meets national standards for quality.

NHS Great Yarmouth and Waveney’s board has been told that the service provided by Harmoni is performing well and is fully compliant with the majority of the Department of Health’s standards for better health, which ensure quality across the NHS. The news comes after the service was assessed by a panel of patients, PCT staff, GPs and external stakeholders during January.

The review showed that the out of hours service is now fully compliant with 18 of the 20 core standards for better health, compared with just four in 2009. Performance has also improved against the 13 national quality requirements for out of hours care, with the service now fully compliant with six compared with five in 2009.

Pam Fenner, director of nursing and quality with NHS Great Yarmouth and Waveney, said: “This review process has been particularly positive and constructive. It has also provided us with strong evidence that our patients are now receiving a much-improved out of hours service.”

Jan Thomas, service manager for Harmoni, said: “The improvement in the service is testament to the hard work and dedication of all the staff and clinicians.”