A late-evening GP practice is to open within Teddington Memorial Hospital, with patients able to see doctors until 10pm on weekdays.

The patient-friendly hours also apply at weekends and bank holidays, when the surgery will stay open until 9pm.

Teddington's latest GP practice will be run by Hounslow and Richmond Community Healthcare in a joint partnership with the League of Friends of Teddington Memorial Hospital, and with a group of doctors.

Hounslow and Richmond Community Healthcare won the right to provide the practice in Hampton Road, Teddington, against several rival bidders.

The new surgery officially opens for business on March 1, with doctors working alongside nurses from the existing walk-in centre, which already treats 50,000 patients a year.

It will also provide a blood-testing service and medical cover for Teddington Memorial Hospital's inpatient unit.

Opening hours are 8am-10pm weekdays and 8am-9pm at weekends.

Services will include telephone and email consultations, as well as face-to-face appointments, with scope for patients to just turn up on spec to see a doctor.

One of the new doctors, Dr Kate Moore, who also works at Hampton Wick Surgery, said the new health centre would offer a "top-quality, convenient easy-to-access" service, with the aim of including groups which GP practices traditionally found harder to reach, such as the homeless and those whose first language isn't English.

Services will include cervical screening, quitting smoking, chlamydia screening, immunisations, contraceptive services and minor surgery.