GP access seven days a week

摘要

PATIENTS in England will be able to visit their GP seven days a week and outside office hours under new proposals from the Prime Minister and the Department of Health. Other initiatives supported by the proposal include giving patients flexible access to appointments via Skype, email or by telephone, and providing a wider choice of GP surgeries for patients. A six-month pilot scheme is already in place in six GP practices in Manchester and the Government expects the first national wave of the pilot to cover up to half a million patients across all nine regions of England. A ￡50m challenge fund will be opened later this year to practices that want to participate in the initial wave, with the pilot launching in 2 014-15.