The Alliance has been appointed to evaluate the Extended Access pilots currently in operation in the North, East and West localities, with a view to informing future service provision.

Clearly, there is a national push for longer opening hours, including seven day working, but how that looks in Sunderland is at our discretion. We’ve subcontracted the evaluation to Durham University to ensure there is a robust and thorough assessment methodology employed and they’re due to report before the end of January.

In the meantime, they’ll be seeking the views of many members around the strengths and weaknesses of the current pilots, and we’d be grateful for your participation in the process. Should they ask to speak with you, we will, of course, advise you separately.

If you require further information please contact us.