Cockermouth's doctors surgeries are set to complete their merger in the coming weeks.

NHS England has approved the full merger of the former Castlegate and Derwent GP surgeries.

Already operating as Castlegate and Derwent Surgery, the move will bring together their patient lists and records.

It means that from early next month, patients will be able to see any doctor there, no matter which of the two previous surgeries they belonged to.

The surgeries are set to fully merge at the end of the month, with patient lists brought together over the first weekend of September.

To accommodate the changes, surgery staff will be unable to access patients’ medical information from noon on Friday, September 2 while the databases are merged.

The computer systems are expected to be active again on Monday, September 5.

In the intervening time, patients are asked to only call in an emergency.

The surgeries, based at Cockermouth Community Hospital announced plans to merge after two GPs left Derwent Surgery.

Patients are asked to order repeat medication before September 2 and to be aware they may experience a short delay while computer systems are unavailable.

Requests for home visits should be arranged before 10.30am on September 2.

The dispensary will close on September 2 until Wednesday, September 7.

Patients can continue to contact the surgery on either of the telephone numbers for the time being.

A single contact number will be created in the future.