PATIENTS will soon be able to see their GP or practice nurse on the same day as they ask for an appointment, thanks to a pilot scheme.

North Tees Primary Care Trust has announced that seven of its GP practices are taking part in a national primary care collaborative scheme, which involves them considering new ideas and methods of working, not only with each other but with others from across the country.

Access to services is given a lot of emphasis in the government's national plan for the NHS, and the new appointments system links with this.

It has already been established in a practice in Stockton, and others in the area are to consider the possibility of making the change, in an effort to improve patients' access to GP services.

Practices from across the country are meeting with the North Tees practices to discuss their experiences of introducing new methods to provide better care for their patients.

Marie Clark, national primary care collaborative project manager, based in Thornaby, said: "It is an exciting area of work having practices working together, sharing and communicating their successes with each other, and also their problems.

"The benefit to the patient is that the quick access to GP services, and new ways of looking at coronary heart disease, are all focused on them and the quality of the service they receive."