Long patient waiting times are being tackled with the opening of a new £900,00 facility at the James Paget University Hospital.

The Gorleston hospital's new GP Streaming Unit will provide care for patients who attend A&E and are assessed as not needing hospital treatment but require care from a general practitioner.

The success of a pre-existing streaming service - which has seen more than 6,700 patients since the autumn - has resulted in the hospital creating the standalone GP Streaming Unit located near the Louise Hamilton Centre.

Interim chief operating officer Nigel Kee said the unit is not open as a walk-in facility, but for A&E patients requiring further care from GPs after being assessed by the emergency department.

People should only attend the hospital’s emergency department if it is a genuine emergency.

If you are unsure what to do, you can call NHS 111 and they can direct you to the most appropriate place and book you a time slot with another health service or the emergency department if necessary.