A NEW general practice is opening in the town centre today with a fast way to register online, book appointments and only a 30-second waiting time for telephone calls.

The new surgery is located on the first floor of Boots in North Street, Brighton and offers a “revolutionary” system to help patients register with a GP easily, book face to face or telephone appointments faster, order repeat prescriptions and check their symptoms in advance of a GP consultation.

The new centre is an extension of the Brighton Station Health Centre in Queens Road, an NHS service run by Care UK and both are now collectively named “Practice Plus”.

The new GP service in Boots will be open from 8am until 8pm Monday to Saturday and 10am until 4pm on Sundays.

Dr Marjorie Gillespie, Primary Care Medical Director for Care UK, said: “This new GP practice has a completely new approach.

“People have very busy lives and this new system with faster telephone and online booking systems will make sure people can see a GP within 48 hours.”

Dr Gillespie said Brighton and Hove has seen around ten GP practices close or announce planned closures since the beginning of 2015, and she hopes the new surgery will offer more efficient services to those struggling to book appointments with GPs in the city.

She said: “Our research has shown about 30 per cent of people in Brighton struggle to book appointments with their GPs, forcing them to head to A&E which is frustrating for patients and costly for the NHS.

“This new opening will hopefully benefit many people in the city that are not registered with GPs and alleviate the pressure on emergency departments, making a real difference to NHS resources.”

Dr Gillespie said Brighton is home to many people who are not registered with a GP because of its high student population and transitory workforce.

The new practice aims to target these people, offering them more flexible and convenient ways to see or speak to an NHS GP.

She said: “Our core focus is to recruit patients who are not currently registered with a Brighton and Hove GP, whether students, older people with complex or chronic conditions, seasonal or temporary workers or simply those who have moved but not yet found a new NHS GP.

“It is essential that people are registered with a GP because because those that aren’t are a big burden on emergency access departments.”

Dr Gillespie said the new online ‘Personal Health Hub’ where patients can create a detailed online personal profile and book appointments will transform GP access and, with calls answered within 30 seconds, “help put an end to the misery of the 8am telephone queues for patients seeking a rapid appointment”.

The hub also means that patients can check their symptoms online prior to an appointment.