Surgeries in Gaywood and Dersingham are the first in West Norfolk to offer extended opening hours to patients.

Gayton Road Health Centre and the Carole Brown Health Centre will be offering pre-booked early morning, evening and Saturday GP appointments from today in response to feedback from patient surveys.

The surgeries, which are both run by Vida Healthcare, are not only the first in the west of the county to offer any extended hours but are also thought to be the first in Norfolk to offer as many.

Vida Healthcare's managing director Graham Dickerson said they will be offering an extra 11 hours of pre-booked appointments, supporting Government efforts to improve access to GPs.

Lesley Stephen, lead primary care contracts manager for NHS Norfolk, said: "This is extremely good news for patients as it improves access outside of working hours, enabling appointments to be booked in advance. This is the start of a process being rolled out across the county and NHS Norfolk will ensure extended access to GP services is equitable for the whole of the county."

Additional opening hours at Gayton Road surgery will be on Wednesdays from 7.30am to 8.15am and on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6.30pm to 7.30pm. Carole Brown Health Centre will also be open on Wednesdays between 6.30pm and 7.30pm. The surgeries also open on alternate Saturdays between 8.30am and 11am.

Patients wanting to pre-book an appointment during the extended hours can attend either surgery. For example, a Carole Brown patient can attend Gayton Road surgery on a Wednesday morning.