North Norfolk GPs seeing more patients to reduce strain on NHS

More appointments are being provided by north Norfolk GP surgeries in a bid to reduce pressure on health services this winter.

Availability of the extra appointments may vary from practice to practice from day to day, depending on what staff are available.

Some practices are offering extra clinics on Fridays to help reduce weekend hospital admissions, some have added extra appointments each morning and some have booked a locum for a couple of mornings a week.

Chairman of North Norfolk Clinical Commissioning Group Anoop Dhesi said: 'Everyone knows that the NHS is under pressure so it is vitally important that patients use the correct service for their problem and make use of the facilities available.'

Chief officer of both North and South Norfolk CCGs Antek Lejk, said: 'There are a variety of options for patients to utilise including 111, the walk in centre in Norwich and Cromer MIU as well as the additional appointments our GPs have put on. 'By choosing the right service for the problem we can ensure patients receive the care they need, when they need it.

He added: 'We continue to be very grateful to GPs for rearranging their appointments to create these extra on the day slots to help ease pressure on other NHS services.'

Walk-in centres are available for patients for minor illness and injuries who cannot access a GP.

The Norwich walk-in centre is open 7am-9pm. Cromer Minor Injuries Unit is open 8am-8pm.