Epsom’s GPs surgeries are to provide out-of-hours access seven days a week as part of a £1.8m Government-funded pilot scheme.

The money, part of a £100m pot called the Prime Minister’s Challenge Fund, will be used to pilot GP access between 8am to 8pm Monday to Friday, 9am to 2pm on Saturdays, and 10am to 1pm on Sundays.

It will also be used to develop a community medical team to manage vulnerable patients, improve websites, share health records with community care providers, and provide patients with tools to live healthily in their own homes.

GP Health Partners Limited, an umbrella company formed of all 20 GP practices in Epsom within Surrey Downs Clinical Commissioning Group (SDCCG), will be responsible for delivering the new services and will be accountable to NHS England.

Although the out-of-hours pilot was due to begin on April 1, a SDCCG spokesman said "a delay in announcement and agreement of contracts will put a delay in go live date".

No start date has been given.

"Detailed financial planning is still to be completed but will cover registered patients across all 20 Epsom-facing practices," the spokesman added.

Dr Hilary Floyd from the Derby Medical Centre, in Derby Square, Epsom, and Dr Andy Sharpe from the Ashley Centre Surgery, in Epsom, said: "We have a large older adult population, some of whom feel let down due to the complexity of the care system.

"Access to services must be improved and we are pleased to be leading the roll-out of a community medical team to coordinate the care of our most vulnerable patients.

"We are local GPs and are determined to build our services to last.

"This funding will help us form a strong, patient-focused network that will continue to benefit our community in years to come."

What is GP Health Partners Limited?

It is the "provider network" of Epsom’s GP surgeries which fall under SDCCG and was set up in July 2014.

Andrew Roscoe is the sole director of the company, which has its registered headquarters at the Old Cottage Hospital in Epsom.

Asked why it was established, a SDCCG spokesman said the formation of "provider networks" is part of the NHS’ plans for GPs to proactively target services at people with ongoing, complex needs such as the elderly or those with chronic conditions and "work much more intensively with patients that GPs currently cannot achieve within the 10 minute consultation slots".

He said: "SDCCG has responded to these drivers by making it clear it plans to commission, where possible, patient registered services through locality provider networks.

"Such networks are currently being developed and run by GPs, who have decided how they want to organise themselves in order to manage and account for the services they may deliver."