A MULTI-million fund to improve GP care in South Gloucestershire has been announced.

The £4.5 million is part of the second wave of funding from the Prime Minister’s Challenge Fund.

The new money will be invested in plans that should ultimately see 82 surgeries offering improved services, such as seven-day-a-week access to GP care and online GP advice.

Linda Prosser, director of commissioning for NHS England in the South West, said, “The money from the Prime Minister’s Challenge Fund is starting to have a positive impact locally.

“Initiatives, like patient weekend reviews, are intended to reduce pressure on hospital services and support earlier discharge from hospitals. These reviews were recently introduced at Cossham Hospital and Bristol Royal Infirmary.

“The latest funding award allows us to expand these early successes further across Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire.

“This is a real example of successful partnership working across the health system, involving GP practices, our out-of-hours service, BrisDoc, and GP Care.

The enhanced services are provided through the One Care Consortium.

Dr Ray Montague, chairman of One Care Consortium, said, “This additional money is excellent news for patients. Over time, the measures we are working on are likely to reduce pressure on the health system, including encouraging patients to access their GP online.

“We’ll also be developing our computer systems so GPs and other clinicians can tap into and share patient information wherever they are, joining up care and making handovers much easier.”