DOCTORS' surgeries in North Yorkshire and can now bid for a share of £100 million pot of cash to improve and extending patient access to services.

The money is available in the second wave of The Prime Minister’s Challenge Fund and from yesterday GPs are eligible for grants, with priority places where practices are opening for longer hours, such as 8am-8pm weekdays and at weekends.

One of the succesful bids already to receive funding was the Together as One Community project in Hambleton, Richmondshire and Whitby. It has seen 21 practices working together to give 142,385 patients greater flexibility, using almost £2.5 million from the first round of funding.

GP Dr Duncan Rogers who has been involved in the bid and said: “It is a fantastic step to launch our ‘open for longer’ pilot in the Whitby area. We’ve had a strong response from the local GP community and we’re working hard to enhance the primary care service local patients receive.”

Now GP practices can submit their application forms for NHS England’s area teams to consider before a national assessment panel makes the final decision. Bids will need to serve a minimum population of 30,000, the deadline is 5pm Friday, January 16 and the form is available on NHS England’s website.