The announcement came as the hospital revealed it had one of its busiest days ever on Monday, with 338 people coming through the front door of its emergency department. Of those, 105 were admitted.

Reading’s two Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCG) have secured a cash injection of £241,000 to offer more GP sessions and an evening urgent care children’s clinic to meet the expected surge in patients this winter.

This is the first year NHS England has given Winter Resilience Funding to GPs as well as hospitals.

North and West Reading CCG chairman Dr Rod Smith said: “We hope it will be a huge positive for the hospital by easing the pressure on A&E and allowing people to get an appointment in primary care more easily.”

The hospital’s emergency department is now running at “sustained high levels”, with a record-breaking number of patients arriving at A&E on Monday.

Hospital spokesman Joe Wise said it was one of the top three busiest days in its 175-year history.

He said: “These figures speak for themselves. Many of the people coming in are in the correct place, they are obviously very poorly.”

The new appointment scheme for GPs is designed for patients to consult their doctor with winter ailments — such as flu — rather than turning up at the already overstretched emergency department.

Dr Smith’s CCG has secured £112,000 to offer an extra 3,733 appointments at five of its 10 practices at peak times of demand when patients are more likely to go into A&E.

The extra sessions — which will run until March — are reserved for on-the-day bookings rather than routine care.

Children will soon be able to access appointments seven evenings a week when the South Reading CCG opens its new urgent care children’s clinic.

The group has been awarded £129,000 to offer 20 20-minute appointments between 5.30pm and 8pm each day until April — creating 3,180 extra sessions for young patients.

Although a site for the children’s clinic is yet to be confirmed the move was welcomed by patients.

Health campaigner and former chairman of the South Reading Patient Voice, Carol Munt, said: “I think it’s brilliant. It’s really good news.

“All credit to the CCGs for putting the work in to secure the funding. It’s nice to see something positive.”

It is hoped the opening of an eight-bed £650,000 expansion at A&E two weeks ago, coupled with 10 extra beds when the newly refurbished Redlands Ward opens next month, will also help ease the pressure.