Patients have reacted positively after GP clinics started offering appointments outside office hours.

Harrow Primary Care Trust (PCT) which runs GP practices and dentists in the borough has started offering residents registered with 29 practices more flexible appointments, including in the evening and on weekends.

Jean Gray, of Nibthwaite Road, Harrow, said she currently struggles to get convenient appointments for her three-year-old daughter.

She said: “It's great if they can do it without charging because sometimes we have to wait for quite a while.

“I tried to book an appointment last week and it's always a case of ring back in the morning. To be able to get them in the evening would be good.”

Fiona McElhill, of Merlins Avenue, South Harrow, is registered at the Kings Road Surgery, one of the practices offering more flexible hours.

She said: “It's bound to be useful but thank God I rarely have to go to the doctor. It's difficult to get time off work.”