A hospital trust is to set up a company to run its expanding group of GP practices, it has announced.

The Chesterfield Royal Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Derbyshire, is now running five practices.

It took some of them over after they were unable to recruit GPs.

It says it has enabled the remaining doctors to focus on patient care and clinical leadership.

Its new company has been named Derbyshire Primary Care and Commercial Services.

Manager Stuart Ellis said: “The arm’s length organisation means business as usual for patients, who will continue to contact us as they would do normally for appointments, repeat prescriptions or other queries.

“But it gives us more flexibility to manage the service differently and improve it for everyone. It’s an exciting step and we are looking forward to continuing to take these GP practices and services forward on a positive footing.”

The trust chief executive Simon Morritt said: “This new organisation is a full NHS service that the Trust owns and manages and is fully accountable for. We remain committed to meeting our aim of offering high quality, patient-focussed GP services in the communities where we have our surgeries.”