THE NHS has added extra GP appointments at weekends and evening in Herefordshire which bosses hope will mean more people can access help.

The extra appointments come thanks to a recent expansion of the GP "Enhanced Access" service, operated by GP federation Taurus Healthcare.

It offers appointments with a wide range of healthcare professionals at eight hubs in Hereford, Bromyard, Ross-on-Wye, Kington, Leominster, Much Birch, Weobley and Ledbury.

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To book an evening or weekend appointment, patients need to call their surgery during usual opening hours and request a Taurus appointment.

Thanks to shared records across Herefordshire, healthcare practitioners working in the evening and weekend clinics can view patients' records and update them with notes from their own consultations.

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Dr Lauren Parry, medical director at Taurus Healthcare said: "Our evening and weekend appointments are ideal for patients who struggle to get to their own surgery during normal working hours, or who are finding it difficult to find a convenient time for a consultation.

"It's frustrating that many patients don't seem to be aware that there is the option of an evening and weekend consultation, especially as we know that many struggle to find an appointment that suits them during their surgery's usual opening hours."

In October 2022, Taurus Healthcare offered over 3,600 evening and weekend appointments, equating to 922 hours).

This more than doubled the 1,521 appointments (380 hours) offered in September 2022. Taurus said 72 per cent of the slots available in October were used by patients.

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Research by Healthwatch Herefordshire in conjunction with Taurus Healthcare revealed that 62 per cent of patients had never attended an evening or weekend appointment.

It also showed many did not seem to be aware that the service is available to them and an average of only five per cent of patients questioned recalled being offered such an appointment by their GP surgery.

Christine Price, chief officer at Healthwatch Herefordshire, said: "After listening to what the public told Healthwatch about how they would like to access general practice, it is great to see Herefordshire services responding by designing the enhanced access service to meet these needs and offering greater flexibility for patients."

Patients who need urgent care when their surgery is closed are reminded to contact NHS111 via 111.nhs.uk or by calling 111.

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