Almost a third of Londoners are to be offered later GP appointments - with the promise of being seen as quickly as at a hospital casualty department.
Three pilot areas in the capital covering 2.8 million patients will share £11.5 million from the Prime Minister’s Challenge Fund to develop better out-of-hours services. Appointments can be booked by email and Skype.
Some 365 surgeries in north-west London will offer appointments from 8am-8pm on weekdays and for six hours at weekends. Same-day appointments for urgent cases will be available within four hours - the time patients attending a hospital A&E can expect to wait.
Patients in Barking and Dagenham, Havering and Redbridge will be able to see a doctor until 10pm. In Southwark, patients will be able to book appointments from 8am-8pm seven days a week.
Dr Anne Rainsberry, regional director for NHS England (London), said: “More than a third of Londoners should see better access to care that fits in with family and work life, and more tailored care for people living with long term conditions or who are elderly.”
