Struggling to get a GP appointment? Superdrug giving away £1m of free health tests

Britsstruggling to get a GP appointment this winter could get help without leaving home, as Superdrug gives away more than £1million worth of free health tests during the busiest month for illness.

It comes as new NHS figures show around 1.7million GP appointments in England involve waits of four weeks or more, with January seeing a surge in people reporting coughs, sore throats, fevers and stomach problems.

To ease pressure on GP services, the high street chain is handing out 10,000 at-home 'Health MOT' kits, each worth £111.33, allowing people to check what may be behind their symptoms without booking an appointment.

Hospitals across the country have also warned they are under intense winter strain, with several NHS trusts declaring critical incidents in recent weeks, as seasonal viruses continue to spread.