South Holland patients can see GP at weekends

South Holland patients can now make routine GP appointments for Saturdays and Sundays in a trial Extended Access Service (EAS).

The pre-bookable, non-urgent appointments are also available from 6.30pm to 8pm Monday-Thursday - as well as 9am to noon on Saturdays and Sundays.

The EAS is based at Munro Medical Centre, in West Elloe Avenue, Spalding, and was introduced by NHS South Lincolnshire Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG).

Munro operations manager Lisa Jones said: "We'll be welcoming patients from as far as Holbeach, Crowland and Gosberton and surrounding areas within our CCG."

Patients from other surgeries will need to make an appointment through their own surgery to see a doctor at Munro.

The EAS will run for six months, initially, and may be extended for a further year.

Appointments will also be available on Bank Holidays and through Christmas and New Year.

Mrs Jones said: "The objective is to extend the access we already offer to patients. It's really crucial to the community in offering this service.

"The service sees practices across the area working closely together to provide a convenient, high quality service, which is a lot more accessible.

"We have already had positive feedback from our patients regarding our new opening times, which is very encouraging and fundamentally will suit patients and their needs.

"And at the end of the day that's what matters.

"Flu season is upon us now, colder days and darker nights, and we need to look after our community."

The EAS launched yesterday (Monday).

Munro partner Dr Graham Wheatley said: "We are really pleased to now offer seven-days a week availability of appointments to our patients, allowing more appointment availability in the evenings and a new weekend service operating on both Saturdays and Sundays at Munro Medical Centre.

"We hope this will particularly appeal to patients who have difficulty getting to appointments during standard working hours, and also to those patients who prefer to come to the practice when the car park is less busy.

"We welcome the help given by South Lincolnshire Clinical Commissioning Group and Allied Health South Lincolnshire, with whom we are working to provide this new, extended service."

l There is some existing help for patients out of hours.

Lincolnshire Community Health Serrvices Trust says the Lincolnshire Out of Hours service provides urgent medical care outside of normal GP hours, during evenings, weekends and Bank Holidays.

This service is accessed by calling 111 and offers advice over the telephone, bookable appointments at a number of Out of Hours bases across the county or, where appropriate, home visits.

This service also works alongside Lincolnshire's nationally-recognised Clinical Assessment Service, which sees experienced doctors and nurse practitioners available over the telephone 24 hours a day, seven days a week (also via 111) to offer assessment, advice and onward treatment where needed.

People living in the Spalding area with a minor injury are able to 'walk in' at the Minor Injuries Unit at Johnson Community Hospital from 8am until 6pm seven days a week.

At weekends and Bank Holidays, an Out of Hours service is located in the Minor Injuries Unit during these times and bookable appointments can be accessed through the 111 service.

Outside of these hours, where a face-to-face appointment is required, people will be directed to their nearest Out of Hours base.