A UNIQUE medibus service which will provide a door-to-door service from home to hospital is being launched in the Pocklington area.

Patients wanting to keep appointments and accompanying carers, relatives or friends, and people visiting inpatients, will be run to York District Hospital under the scheme, said to be the first of its kind serving a rural part of England.

Pocklington will be the centre point for one of four medibuses, working with country communities across East Yorkshire.

The other vehicles will be based at Carnaby, Beverley and Withernsea.

They are being run by East Riding of Yorkshire Council, which has won a £423,000 Rural Bus Challenge grant to keep the buses running for three years.

The Pocklington bus will be taking people to York District Hospital from an area which includes the parishes of Meltonby, Bishop Wilton, Yapham, Bolton, Fangfoss, Kirby Underdale,Bugthorpe, Skirpenbeck, Full Sutton, High Catton and Low Catton.

A council spokesman said: "The medibus scheme will mainly benefit patients attending hospital appointments with their accompanying carers, relatives or friends, as well as people visiting hospital patients.

"Other passengers may be taken if there is room. The parishes to be served have been carefully planned to provide convenient routes, but there may be some flexibility if people in neighbouring parishes want to use the service."

Passengers wanting to use the service should book a seat by calling 01482 885880, as soon as possible before the day they wish to travel. Seats will be alloted on a first-come, first-served basis.

Seats can also be booked at GP surgeries, and East Riding of Yorkshire Council customer service centres.

The buses are specially adapted Renault Master Minibuses which can seat eight passengers, or seven seated passengers plus one wheelchair user.

"The drivers are fully trained, friendly and helpful," added the council spokesman.