Heywood GPs open seven days a week

Patients in Heywood will be able to access GP appointments in evenings and at weekends from today (4 November).

The pioneering move comes after a group of Heywood GP practices received funding from NHS England to pilot seven-day GP services.

Heywood Health Hub – a central hub of medical staff, including nurses and GPs – is open to all patients registered with a Heywood GP from today (Monday 4 November).

Heywood’s six GP surgeries will shut at their normal times, with routine GP and nurse services operating from Heady Hill Surgery, on Bury New Road, between 4pm and 9pm Monday to Friday and from 9.30am until 8.30pm on Saturdays and Sundays.

Patients can make appointments through their own GP surgeries.

The service will be run by out-of-hours doctors on a rotating schedule and GPs will have access to patients’ medical records – unlike existing walk-in centres.

Immunisations, health promotion services and chronic disease health checks for conditions such as asthma and diabetes will all be available.

The £350,000 funding has been awarded by NHS England as part of a bid to reduce unnecessary A&E visits to Greater Manchester’s 17 hospitals, which over the last year made up 30 per cent of patient visits – costing the NHS £30 million.

Dr Bob Wood, GP at Heady Hill Surgery, and clinical lead for the Heywood and Middleton localities, mental health, and IT at NHS Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale Clinical Commissioning Group (HMR CCG), is leading the project on behalf of the six Heywood GP practices.

He said: “When people become ill outside of the usual 9am to 5pm working hours, they often see hospital as their only option for care. We want to change that by making sure patients are able to see their GP more easily and more conveniently. This will help reduce the pressure on busy A&E departments and urgent care services.

“All six Heywood practices are working closely together on this, which is a first. It’s very exciting to see what can be achieved through joined up working.”

If the six-month trial is successful, it may continue and could be rolled out across the borough and possibly further.

The six Heywood GP practices taking part in the seven-day scheme are:

• Argyle Street Medical Centre 
• Birtle View Medical Centre 
• Heady Hill Surgery, Bury New Road 
• Hopwood Medical Centre 
• Longford Street Medical Centre 
• York House Surgery, York Street