Plans to extend the hours of GP services in Waltham Forest have been unveiled in a bid to ‘move health services into the 21st Century’.

People who are registered with a GP are now able to book weekend appointments at three GP practices in Chingford, Walthamstow and Leytonstone to make it easier to see a doctor outside of working hours.

The trial scheme has been made possible by GP practices sharing resources under the Waltham Forest GP Federated Network (FedNet).

Dr Anwar Khan, chair of NHS Waltham Forest CCG, said he was pleased to roll out the trial that would be beneficial for those who struggle to get appointments.

He said: “Over the coming months, we will be carefully assessing how well it is working and will be asking people for their feedback. In the future we hope to include evening appointments and monitor the demand for these extra appointments.”

“This is about bringing our local GP services into the 21st century and making sure it’s much easier for people to get the care they need when they want it.

"We also hope it will reduce some of the pressure on other local health services, such as accident and emergency, urgent care and out of hours services, which people often turn to if they can’t see a family doctor.”

To book appointments with doctors and nurses call 020 8519 3999 between 9am and 5am on a Saturday or Sunday.