Visit a GP or nurse in the evening at the weekend or on a bank holiday

Dr Chris Duffy, NHS HMR CCG Chairman and local GP

A new campaign in Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale is reminding patients they can book GP and nurse appointments in the evenings, at weekends and on bank holidays. Practices are displaying materials promoting the opening hours of the extended hours hubs as well as the booking line telephone number.

Patients have been able to book to see a GP or nurse at four extended hours hubs across the borough, since early December 2015. The extended hours scheme is a not a walk-in service and is for non-urgent and routine appointments, which include appointments for cervical smears, blood pressure checks and spirometry (breathing test). Patients can book in advance by contacting their own GP surgery or by ringing the Central Booking Service on 0161 763 8292 and can be booked up to 14 days in advance.

Appointments can be booked between the hours of 6.30pm-9pm on weekdays, 8am – 6pm Saturdays and Bank Holidays and between 10am – 1pm on Sundays. Patients can book appointments at any of the four hubs, currently based at the following locations: Birtle View Medical Practice, Heywood, Peterloo Medical Centre, Middleton, Kingsway Medical Practice, Rochdale and Littleborough Health Centre, Rochdale.

Dr Chris Duffy, Chairman of HMR CCG said “We are extremely pleased that patients are now benefitting from more accessible GP services. We know that people struggle to fit in GP appointments with their busy family commitments and work schedules and by offering these out of hours appointments we can make it easier for people to see a GP at a more convenient time to suit them.”

The hubs are being run to improve access to GP appointments and relieve pressure on other NHS services. The appointments are being run as a pilot until March 2017 at which point the scheme will be reviewed and future models considered.