ALL residents across North Worcestershire have some access to a GP outside of working hours, according to latest figures from the NHS as it strives to meet its extended care target.

BBC analysis of official data by NHS England shows 100 per cent of patients registered at surgeries in those areas are able to pre-book appointments outside of traditional hours on at least one day a week through the practice or practice group.

There are 177,605 registered patients in the Redditch and Bromsgrove CCG area and 102,441 in the Wyre Forest CCG area – but neither CCG is offering full provision enabling people to pre-book appointments with a GP, nurse or member of general practice staff from 8am on weekday mornings, after 6.30pm on weekday evenings as well as on Saturdays and Sundays.

Former Prime Minister David Cameron made a promise that everyone in England would have access to GP services seven-days a week by 2020, at the Conservative party conference in 2014.

The target date to provide extended care for all patients across the country, however, has since been brought forward to October 1 when it will be mandatory for all Clinical Commissioning Groups to put in place arrangements for extended access to general practice.

A spokesman on behalf of the three Worcestershire Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) said: “The Worcestershire CCGs are committed to improving GP access for its residents.

“Currently we are offering all Worcestershire patients registered with a local GP partial access to evening and weekend routine appointments.

“Work is ongoing to increase this to the national target set by NHS England of 100 per cent for the whole county by October 2018.”

NHS England says it is on track to meet the deadline – and nationally around 40 per cent of registered patients have seven day 8am to 8pm access to GPs.

A spokesperson for the Department of Health and Social Care said it wants everyone to have access to evening and weekend GP appointments and "already millions have benefitted" across the country from plans.

The BBC’s Shared Data Unit analysed official open data, from March, which is collated bi-annually from surveys filled out by GPs.

NHS England chiefs, however, told the BBC that alternative, unpublished data - recorded in May 2018 and sourced monthly from CCGs - suggested 55 per cent of the population had access to 8am to 8pm GP services and they said they were confident it would be available “across the whole country” by October.