MORE GP surgeries are set to open in East Lancashire under two innovative new schemes.

Health bosses are looking for a GP to take on a pioneering triple-site practice, able to take 6,000 patients across its three sites – Padiham Clinic, Leeds Road clinic in Nelson, and Rawtenstall Health Centre.

And a new GP-led “open access centre” is set to open at the Accrington Victoria Hospital, alongside its minor injuries unit. Like the surgery at the Royal Blackburn Hospital’s urgent care centre, doctors there will see patients who have attended the unit, but have a medical illness needing help from a GP instead.

Tenders for the services are under way and all the surgeries are set to start seeing patients by spring 2009. Both plans have been drawn up as part of the government’s push for better GP provision, especially in deprived areas.

Already, many existing GPs in East Lancashire are offering extended hours. And many other surgeries have plans to introduce a service that offers some early morning, evening and Saturday morning slots for their patients either before Christmas or early in the New Year.

Peter Sellars, NHS East Lancashire’s head of primary care commiss-ioning, said: “We are aiming to introduce these new services in the new financial year in 2009 in order to bring in additional capacity, while at the same time increasing the public’s choice and their ease of access to GP services.

“We have had an excellent response through the competitive tender process and have shortlisted possible providers.

“Now we are busy evaluating the service offers made by applicants.”