The chance to visit a GP after work or at the weekend is back for Huddersfield patients.

Health chiefs are having a second go at launching an out-of-hours scheme – with the first appointments over the Easter weekend.

During the winter of 2013 about half of Huddersfield’s GP practices joined a Saturday opening scheme for the first time – but it failed to last.

Appointments were stopped in April 2015 amid a lack of use of the service and the end of the funding.

Three years on and Greater Huddersfield CCG has announced a new scheme, this time based at Huddersfield Royal Infirmary.

A limited number of practices are also opening their doors.

It comes after the CCG awarded the contract for the new service to out-of-hours provider Local Care Direct, working with My Health Huddersfield (MHH) Ltd, a federation of local GP practices.

Appointments will be available between 6.30pm and 8.30pm each weekday and 10am and 2pm on weekends.

They will be a mixture of ‘pre-bookable’ and ‘on-the-day’ appointments and can be accessed through a patient’s own GP practice or by calling the free NHS 111 phone line, out of normal working hours.

The CCG says it has designed the service following extensive research with patients.

Dr Steve Ollerton, a local GP and chairman of NHS Greater Huddersfield CCG, said: “We know that some people find it difficult to get an appointment at their surgery, particularly those with work and other day-time commitments.

“This new service will improve access and ensure that people can get the right care at a time that suits them.”

Dr Steve Ollerton

Dr Yusuf Shamsee, MHH Director and the clinical lead for the extended access scheme, said: “Huddersfield GPs have worked closely with Local Care Direct to provide patients with better access to GPs across Huddersfield seven days a week.

“This new service starts in late March and when designing the service we have listened carefully to patient opinion to include times of appointments and clinical roles.

“We are excited by the opportunity this provides to improve patient care and will be engaging with patients to further develop the service over the next 12 months.”

The scheme starts on Saturday, March 31 when evening and weekend appointments will be available for any Greater Huddersfield patient in the Primary Care Centre ‘hub’ at Huddersfield Royal Infirmary.

In addition, some local GP practices will also be offering evening and weekend appointments.

Patients are asked to please check with their practice.

A similar scheme is due to launch for North Kirklees patients later this year.