Where you can see your GP out of hours this winter in South Tyneside

GP surgeries across South Tyneside are extending their hours this winter to allow patients more time for appointments.
There will be additional appointments available this winter.There will be additional appointments available this winter.
There will be additional appointments available this winter.

The colder months see more people seeking help in emergency departments and urgent care centres across the North East.

In preparation, NHS Sunderland and South Tyneside Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) have given extra funding to GP practices, enabling them to provide thousands more appointments when they are needed most by patients.

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South Tyneside GP practices are offering over 300 additional appointments every week and all 22 practices in the borough are working together in ‘hub’ arrangements to offer increased access to GP advice during the busiest times.

The extra appointments will be available as follows:

7am – 8am, Monday to Friday

6.30pm – 8pm, Monday to Friday

Every Saturday and Sunday for a minimum of three hours per day

The extra GP appointments available are bookable by contacting your usual GP practice in the usual way, or, if it is out of hours, by simply calling the free NHS 111 number which is available 24/7 and you will be directed to the most appropriate available service.

Dr Shahid Wahid, Medical Director at South Tyneside NHS Foundation Trust, said: “One of the big issues for the NHS during the winter months is managing the sheer influx of people seeking help and who access care via the hospital’s emergency department.

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"This is usually when other services have, historically, been closed and is especially true over weekends and bank holidays.

“We are delighted to be working in partnership with our primary care colleagues this winter to help ease some of the burden on busy emergency teams as we know that many of the people arriving at hospital simply do not need to be there.

"This will allow us to prioritise and treat those people who have serious or life threatening problems and who really do need hospital-based care."

David Hambleton, chief officer at NHS South Tyneside CCG, added: "Most common winter illnesses are best looked after at home with plenty of rest, fluids and over the counter medication available from a local pharmacist – they don’t even don’t even need a GP appointment.

“There is nothing worse than feeling poorly, but I would urge local people to support us in making sure emergency services and urgent GP appointments are kept free for those who really need them."