OUT-of-hours GP services are set to follow the minor injuries unit and move to Ipswich Hospital, The Star can today reveal.

At the trust’s board meeting yesterday, John Watson, director of operations at Ipswich Hospital, said: “We have done the deal.”

Following the minor injuries unit – which moved from the Riverside Clinic in Landseer Road to the hospital’s emergency department in July – the service will relocate to Heath Road.

Responding to councillor Alan Murray’s questions about rumours in the community about the issue, Mr Watson said: “Once the MIU moved here it became logical to have a conversation about the out-of-hours service. It will move to the fracture clinic from 6pm to 8am, a time when the clinic is not operating.

“We have done the deal, it gives us an opportunity to improve patient pathways, if they need to be seen at the emergency department it is just across the way.”

The minor injuries unit at the Riverside Clinic was set up to relieve pressure on Ipswich Hospital’s emergency department, but the decision had resulted in an increased financial burden on the county’s NHS, said NHS Suffolk during the consultation period.

The Ipswich Star contacted Harmoni for comment but they were unavailable.