GP patients in North West Surrey can continue booking video consultations via the Livi smartphone app until Friday 31 March.

The free service was due to be ended last September, when more in-person appointments were promised at three new acute illness hubs in the area.

But the Livi service was reprieved temporarily because of a delay in setting up the clinics, at Woking Community, St Peter’s and Ashford hospitals.

A spokesman for the area’s GP federation, North West Surrey Integrated Care Services, said evening and weekend appointments are now available at the hubs.

“These must be booked through the patient’s GP practice, as there is no walk-in facility,” she added.

“As background to the decision to eventually discontinue Livi, practices in North West Surrey have been reviewing how patients access services and are introducing some changes in response to patient feedback.”

Another new service, Rapid Health, is due to start in early 2023. It will allow patients to directly book and manage their own appointments for a range of different GP services, including initial physiotherapy, immunisations and cervical smears.

“Extending the availability of Livi until the end of March means patients can benefit from this service while the wider changes to accessing primary care services are embedded,” the spokesman said.