NHS Highland patients will be able to call and book appointments on Saturdays from August 6.
Phonelines are currently only open between 9am and 5pm on Monday to Friday, which poses problems for people who consistently work during those hours.
To help with this, the health board is trialing a Saturday booking service which will be open from 8am and noon.
The phoneline will be open to those who have been sent a letter by NHS Highland and asked to call to arrange an appointment.
Katherine Sutton, chief officer in acute services, hopes the new slot will reduce the number of cancelled appointments.
She said: “Having the patient phone us to agree a time makes it a much more patient-centred service and, as the patient has agreed the appointment with us, there is less chance of cancellations or patients not being able to attend.
“We’re trialing the Saturday date to see if this helps those contacting us about their appointments. Should it be successful we will look to make this move permanent.”
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