England’s biggest seven day GP access scheme launched in Manchester

England’s biggest seven day GP access scheme has launched in Manchester, providing thousands of additional appointments at evening and weekends.

The scheme means 600,000 people across the Manchester area will now have access to extra appointments available from 8am to 8pm, seven days a week.

These additional appointments will be offered at 15 hubs across the city, 12 of which are based at GP practices, with a further three located at hospital trusts.

Any patient registered with a Manchester GP will have access to the seven day service and will be able to book appointments by contacting their local GP surgery.

Approximately 235,000 additional appointments will be offered over a year, including around 131,000 GP appointments, 52,000 nurse appointments and 52,000 appointments with healthcare assistants.

Sohail Munshi, chair of the Manchester Primary Care Partnership, the city-wide GP federation delivering the service, said: “School age children, working families and carers are amongst some of those who will benefit greatly from being able to see a GP or nurse in the evenings and at weekends. We’re proud to be able to provide this service for our patients in Manchester.”

Alistair Burt MP said: “It’s great news that Manchester is launching the biggest 7 day GP access scheme in the country with 600,000 people - 10 times the capacity of Manchester City’s stadium - being offered evening and weekend appointments.

“Earlier this year, we set out our vision for the NHS over the next 25 years - a vision of an NHS that is there for people when they fall ill, any hour of any day. For this to become a reality, our first priority is to work with GPs to ensure patients can see a GP at the weekends. It is excellent that Manchester’s 91 GP practices are working together to make this a reality.”