The Department of Health has officially launched the “7-Day NHS” plan, which aims to provide patients with safer care throughout the week. The plan should reduce variation in the mortality risk for patients admitted on weekdays versus weekends, and ensure that doctors in training are safely supervised every day of the week. NHS England, in partnership with other organizations, will roll out seven-day hospital services to 25 percent of the population in 2016–17, and to 100 percent of the population by 2020. The plan includes having local general practitioner offices open on Saturday and Sunday. To achieve this, 5,000 more GPs will be recruited by 2020, as will the 11,000 new staff needed to run a seven-day service in hospitals.