GP practices in Bolton will open for longer and at weekends from October.

Surgeries, locally and nationally, will be required to make arrangements to provide care at the weekends and weekday evenings.

This includes between the hours of 6.30pm and 8.00pm Monday to Friday and  on Saturdays between 9.00am and 5.00pm.

Now Bolton GP Federation wnat to know what patients want and think about longer opening hours, and how they want the new arrangements to work to meet their needs.

This is so services can be planned around what suits patient needs best.

Cllr Andy Morgan, Chair of Bolton’s Locality Board, said he has concerns about the extended days as the public are telling him they want more face-to-face appointments during the current opening times.

But that the new opening hours could alleviate pressure on A&E.

He said: “It is hoped that increased access to primary care, including physiotherapists, nurses, and pharmacists, will encourage more people to be able to access services and attend for important general health checks and screening and hopefully prevent inappropriate attendances at A&E and the hospital.

"That said my concerns are that GP’s and primary care services are already challenged and believe that increased opening times will stretch resources and staff even further.

"I believe that primary cares current priority should be to provide more face-to-face appointments during their current opening times as this is what the public are telling us they want."

If you would like to share your views in the anonymous survery, go to https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/J63MLRP