The future of primary healthcare in Britain, it seems, is down past the deli counter, and opposite the lipstick stand. Those given a clean bill of health by their GP will be pleased to know that the booze aisle is just a short walk away.

The first supermarket-based GP service opened in Sainsbury's in Blackley, Manchester, yesterday, in a move that chimes with both the government's determination to make GPs work extended hours, and one retail chain's idea of community involvement. The surgery will be staffed by doctors from local practices, and will open on Monday and Thursday evenings, and between 11am and 3pm on Saturdays. Patients book appointments through their registered GP practices.

Is there a need for a joint GP service and baked bean retailing operation in the north Manchester area? Sitting in his cramped consulting room, Dr Mohammed Jiva, who heads the scheme, thinks there is. "Can something like this help to give people some time back in their busy lives? We think it could be useful."

Yesterday, shoppers tended to agree. Jane Sutherland, hovering by the fish counter, says her husband might use the service. "He won't take half a day off to see a doctor in normal hours, and this offers him the chance to see one later on. And he can pick up a few bits while he's here."

There are advantages to having an extended-hours GP surgery in a supermarket beyond convenience, says Jiva. It's safe, well lit, and there's a pharmacy on the premises. But there are down sides, too. In the Blackley Sainsbury's, the waiting area - two plastic chairs - exposes patients both to the bemused looks of more traditional shoppers, and to the chill from the freezer cabinets. There's not even a Reader's Digest from 2002 to take your mind off things.

Sainsbury's is not the first store to offer doctor's appointments - Boots is trialling a similar scheme - but surprisingly, other supermarkets have not shown interest. Jiva says Tesco turned down his proposal, and Asda didn't even answer his emails.