PATIENTS across north Hampshire can now get an appointment with their GPs seven days a week.

The North Hampshire Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) and GP surgeries across the north of the county have been working in partnership to deliver improved access to services to help people to make sure they can fit appointments into their busy schedules.

Patients will now be able to make appointments to see a GP or other healthcare specialist during the hours of 8am to 8pm Monday to Friday, as well as on Saturday mornings and Sundays.

Sunday appointments are being delivered through North Hampshire Urgent Care, but cover all the normal things that you would expect if you attended your surgery.

These have been extremely popular, with almost all the first wave of appointments being snapped up straight away.

Nicola Decker, clinical chair of North Hampshire CCG said: “Enabling the delivery of the improved access appointments across our area has been a huge collaborative effort.

“We’re already seeing the benefits of these appointments to our patients. The extended hours allow for those with busy lifestyles to fit their medical needs around their own schedules.”

This news comes after it was announced that a number of surgeries in Basingstoke and Deane would be working closely together under the umbrella of Mosaic Healthcare.

As such, residents may find that neighbouring surgeries will be providing evening and Saturday morning appointments, with staff at these facilities having access to the patient's records and will be working in partnership with a persons registered practice as part of Primary Care Clusters.

The practices which will be working in partnership will be:

• Acorn Partnership, also covering Rooksdown and Beggarwood surgeries

• Whitewater Partnership, Chineham and Clift

• Bentley, Chawton Park, Boundaries and The Wilson Practice

• Brambly’s Grange, Crown Heights and Odiham

• Tadley and Watership Down Health

• Bermuda Marlowe working with Crown Heights & Brambly’s Grange

To find out more details, patients are being advised to refer to their practice website or ask about these appointments when they next contact their surgery.