The King Edward VII Memorial Hospital laboratory is to extend its hours for blood and urine testing as of today.

A press release issued on Friday said an extra hour had been set aside for persons with appointments during the week and for the first time ever, the lab will offer walk-in service at the weekend.

The new hours are temporary, and will only be made permanent if successful.

Kathy Stephens, Pathology Manager said: "We want to make access to important health tests easier for people. By staying open until 5 p.m. on the weekday, we want to give people greater flexibility for fitting their tests into a busy day. The Saturday morning walk-in service will provide an option for people who really can't make time in the week."

The hospital lab previously closed at 4 p.m. during the week and did not open weekends. The Saturday walk-in service is available between 8 a.m. to 11 a.m.

Ms Stephens continued: "Offering tests on six days of the week will also be more convenient for people who have time-sensitive tests, such as fertility tests.

"We want to open at times that are convenient to people and we will be monitoring the demand for our new hours over the coming weeks. We are letting the community know of the pilot to ensure that the new hours are given a fair chance. If people find them useful we will make them permanent.

She added: "Having a health test can feel stressful, but with our new hours, we hope organising time for them will be less of a headache."

The lab is accredited by Joint Commission International, part of a leading American accreditation body.