Practices have been ordered to work overtime to make up for any reduction in weekly appointment numbers caused by the coming Easter holiday, it has been revealed.

Instructions from NHS England say that practices must make up the time within the following fortnight, the Daily Telegraph revealed. Practices have also been under pressure to offer extended opening over the holiday weekend as part of measures aimed at preventing overstretched hospitals being overloaded.

According to new NHS England guidance, at least one practice in every network should be open all day on Saturdays and until 8pm on weekdays. The guidance also instructs practices to cease half-day closing, the Telegraph reports. The newspaper reports seeing further leaked correspondence ordering social services to “do everything you can” to ensure the discharge of patients. Hospitals have been told to take steps to “safeguard the safety of patients,” it reports.

Royal College of GPs’ chair Professor Martin Marshall said: “GPs and patients want the same thing, and we share our patients’ concerns about the difficulties they face in accessing GP appointments. GPs and our teams make the vast majority of NHS patient contacts, and in doing so alleviate pressures across the health service – including in emergency departments – but the service is under incredible strain.”