Six city GP surgeries are opening on selected Saturdays and Sundays in a bid to try and stop the number of people needing emergency treatment at Leicester's hospitals.
Patients do not have to be registered with the surgeries in order to get an appointment, although they have to be city residents.
They can call the relevant surgery for advice or for an appointment. A practice nurse will also be available in some practices during the weekend working.
Professor Azhar Farooqi, chairman of the Leicester City clinical commissioning group, said: "Nobody likes feeling poorly.
"Offering weekend GP appointments at these six practices means that patients have a wider choice of where to get help and advice about health conditions this winter.
"We know patients look to their GP for reassurance and they want to be able to get an appointment when they need one.
"This new weekend opening scheme goes some way to help meet patients' expectations."
Some surgeries are opening on Saturdays and some on Sundays.
However Dr Gurvinder Singh's surgery at the Pasley Road Health Centre will be open on both days until the end of February.
The three doctors at the practice are working a rota system to provide appointments from 7am-6.30pm on Saturdays and from 8am-4pm on Sundays until February 28.
Dr Singh, also a member of the Leicester City CCG, said: "Patients are delighted that we are open and that they don't have to queue.
"Those that have come in have had things like skin and chest infections.
"We have had quite a few people that are not registered with us but the scheme is at an early stage at the moment and I hope that in the long run it will get good support."
A CCG spokesman said that early monitoring showed some practices were seeing between 30 and 40 patients on either a Saturday or Sunday.
The scheme is being promoted through messages on television screens in city surgeries as well as on the social media sites, Facebook and Twitter.
NHS England is funding the scheme but at the time of going to press the cost of this was not available.
The GP practices open include:
Highfields Medical Centre, Merlyn Vaz Health and Social Care Centre, Tel 0116 261 6234 is open on the following Saturdays from 8am-1pm, January 31, February 7 and February 21.
Melbourne Road Health Centre, Melbourne Road, Tel 0116 255 9869 is open on the following Sundays from 9am-3pm, January 18, January 25, February 1, February 8, February 15 and February 22.
Sayeed Medical Centre, East Park Road, Tel 0116 323 2030 is open on the following Saturdays from 9-11am, January 17, January 24, January 31, February 7, February 14, February 21 and February 28.
Shefa Medical Practice, St Peter's Health Centre, Tel 0116 295 7835 is open on the following Saturdays from 9am-1pm, January 17, January 24, January 31, February 7, February 14, February 21 and February 28.
Pasley Road Health Centre (Dr Singh), Eyres Monsell, Tel 0844 477 3414 or 0116 295 8424 is open on the following Saturdays from 7am-6.30pm, January 17, January 24, January 31, February 7, February 14, February 21 and February 28.
It will also be open on the following Sundays from 8am-4pm, January 18, January 25, February 1, February 8, February 15 and February 22.
The Willows Medical Centre, Coleman Road, Tel 0116 246 1311 is open on the following Saturdays from 1.30-4.30pm, January 17, January 24, January 31, February 7, February 14, February 21 and February 28.