PATIENTS will now have access to a doctor in Bucks on Saturdays and Sundays thanks to the introduction of a new out-of-hours services.

The extended hours service, called Family First, starts this week at the Healthy Balance surgery in Great Missenden and provides county residents with a GP service on Saturday afternoons and Sunday mornings for the first time.

Up until this week regular NHS GP services came to an end at midday on Saturday.

The new GP practice will operate two clinics each weekend - on Saturday afternoons from 2-6pm and Sunday mornings from 10am-12pm. An evening appointment clinic will also take place on Thursdays between 6-8pm.

The lead GP for the new service is Ahmad Moukli, who has been based at the Prospect House surgery in Great Missenden since 2008. He is also the Clinical Information Officer for Buckinghamshire County Council.

Dr Moukli said: "Family First GP has come about in response to a genuine need for the public to receive access to GP services over the weekend.

"Currently, with no NHS GP service available at the weekend after 12pm on Saturday, if you need to see a doctor on a Saturday afternoon or on a Sunday, the NHS 111 service has no choice other than to send you to the Bucks Urgent Care out-of-hours service, where there may be lengthy waiting times, or to ask you to wait until Monday morning. There is no regular NHS GP service available at that time.

"Through Family First GP, our aim is to enable people to receive easy access to GP care seven days a week and relieve the pressure on Buckinghamshire’s current NHS out-of-hours service.

"Anyone with chronic or acute health issues who would like a consultation or wishes to have a second opinion without disruption to their working week is very welcome. Booking an appointment is also a convenient way to pick up private prescriptions that may have accidentally run out."

Patients can simply turn up for an appointment, with waiting times for the walk-in clinic not expected to exceed 30 minutes.

For further information or to book an appointment, go to www.familyfirstgp.co.uk or call 01494 867070.