TWO GP surgeries have extended their opening hours in a bid to ease the burden on Southend Hospital.

Thorpe Surgery, in Tyrone Road, Thorpe Bay, which has 6,500 patients registered, and Queensway Surgery, in Queensway which has 24,727 patients on its list, are both extending their hours in a bid to improve waiting times.

Queensway now opens half an hour earlier at 8am and both surgeries will no longer close for lunch and will remain open until 6.30pm.

The move has been backed by Southend Clinical Comm-issioning Group which is looking at ways to improve the GP service.

Melanie Craig, chief officer with the group, said: “We are working with local surgeries to improve opening times and patient access.

“We are delighted many practices in Southend are already open from 8am to 6.30pm Monday to Friday and this includes the Queensway and Thorpe Bay surgeries which recently extended their opening times.

“We aim to ensure any change to the walk-in service is compensated by increased GP opening times. We want to ensure each patient’s own GP practice or local pharmacy is their first port of call for minor ailments.”

Dr Vel, who runs a surgery in Westborough Road, Westcliff, which stays open later said: “It is a good thing, as we’re so busy it gives patients an extra hour to come in and see us.

“For the smaller GPs with patients lists of about 1,000 patients, it’s perfect for people.

“But the bigger surgeries with 4,000 people on their list, like the Valkyrie, it probably won’t help them at all. If you try and book up there you have no chance.”

Last year, Dr Caroline Howard, Southend Hospital’s A&E consultant, admitted out of an average of 200 people a day coming through the doors, 40 to 70 of those people were patients who could not wait to see a doctor.

However, the Echo revealed last week the clinical commissioning group is considering closing St. Luke’s walk-in centre in Pantile Avenue, Southend, and diverting patients to Southend Hospital where an “enhanced service” may be provided in A&E.

A decision will be made on a preferred option for the centre at the end of the month, but the group has stressed diverting patients to A&E is one of several options available to commissioners.

The walk-in centre serves a large proportion of Southend and the surrounding area.

The the clinical commissioning group has also announced a pilot at Southend Medical Centre, which had been opening on Saturdays, has come to an end.

The pilot was funded by the NHS winter resilience fund, which has now run out.

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