The first patients have registered for a new GP surgery in a Bristol shop.

More than 100 people have signed up for the practice in the Broadmead Boots store.

The first patients were waiting outside when the doors opened at 8am yesterday and through the course of the day the waiting room started to fill up.

Broadmead Medical Centre provides GP services to people living in and around Bristol city centre who previously may not have had access to a practice.

Among the people who signed up on the first day were Wendell Storr, 29, of St Philips, who had previously been registered with a GP in Montpelier.

He said: "I live just behind Temple Meads and my GP in Montpelier took me off their books, so I have been waiting for this place to open.

"It is quite handy and I managed to get an appointment straight away, which was good."

John Walker, 21, of Hotwells, was also previously registered in Montpelier.

He said: "Before this surgery opened, my closest was probably Bedminster and this is a bit closer.

"I didn't know that this was opening, but I managed to get an appointment on the first day, which was great."

The new surgery, on the first floor of the Boots store in The Mall Bristol, formerly The Galleries, has six consulting rooms, a treatment room and triage room and patients can see GPs or nurses either as registered patients or by using the walk-in service.

It is being run by GP consortium BrisDoc, which already provides out-of-hours cover in parts of Bristol.

Lord Mayor Chris Davies was joined by Lady Mayoress Susan Davies to officially open the medical centre.

Dr Catherine Maytum, the lead GP at the centre, said: "We have got all the latest technology and we have got a really exciting brief to reach out to patients who otherwise would not be able to access GP services.

"I hope it is really going to help here and improve access."

Dr Maytum said that when the practice is more established they will be carrying out more outreach work to help people who may find it difficult to access GP services.

Tricia Kennerley, healthcare public affairs director for Alliance Boots, said: "This is an excellent example of the potential for pharmacy to be involved in the wider provision of healthcare.

"The pharmacy is more than just a place to pick up prescriptions, and we hope that this development will help demonstrate the increasing role that pharmacists can play."

The practice opens from 8am to 8pm Monday to Friday and from 9am to 1pm on a Saturday. It will also be open for registration on Saturday and Sunday afternoons.