A review of urgent and emergency care by the Healthcare Commission said the region is the best performing in the country for providing patients with the quickest and best care.

And Northern Doctors Urgent Care (NDUC), which provides a GP out-of-hours service, said South Tyneside was marked best in England, along with Newcastle and North Tyneside, for providing medical assistance to patients when their GP practice is closed.

John Harrison, general manager of NDUC, said: "We are delighted with the results for GP out-of-hours services provided by NDUC – which are a testament to the hard work of our staff.

"The comprehensive review of urgent and emergency NHS services has found that patients living in the region are receiving among the best of this type of care in the country.

"We are pleased that NDUC, together with other local providers and NHS North of Tyne and South Tyneside PCT, have been able to achieve this.

"The results are valuable for us as an organisation and our patients.
However, we're not complacent and will identify areas for improvement to maintain our high standards of patient care."

NDUC allows people to seek medical advice from a GP over the phone between the hours of 6.30pm and 8am each day. If the patient requires further care, NDUC will send a GP for a home visit.

The Healthcare Commission's report marked each area on a combination of accident and emergency waiting times, thrombosis targets, GP access and ambulance waiting times.

The Commission praised the region's service, but is calling for a new drive to improve the system for delivering urgent and emergency care across the country.

Anna Walker, the Healthcare Commission's chief executive, said different services – such as ambulances, accident and emergency departments, and Primary Care Trusts – must work together to provide a better service.

However, the report said this is not an issue in North East England, and in particular South Tyneside.