Newcastle's Hunter Street GP Access after hours clinic is proposed to move to the Calvary Mater Hospital in Waratah by the end of the year after a study of patients' travelling times was carried out.

Acting Hunter Medicare Local chief executive Bryan McLoughlin said 75 per cent of patients who presented at the Hunter Street clinic lived closer to the Mater than Hunter Street.

He said co-locating the after hours clinic with the Mater's emergency department would increase the options for people in need of after-hours care.

"Often people come to the emergency department for conditions that would be better assessed and treated by a GP," he said.

"By providing both emergency and GP services side by side we're ensuring our patients have easy access to services that meet their needs."

Mr McLoughlin said GPs would have access to more on-site services, including diagnostic radiology services.

The first GP Access After Hours clinic was established in Maitland in 1999 and was expanded in 2003 to include a telephone service and four additional clinics at John Hunter Hospital, Belmont Hospital, Toronto Community Health Centre and the Newcastle Community Health Centre on Hunter Street.

In the 2010-11 financial year 54,542 appointments, including 9500 at the Hunter Street clinic, were made at the clinics.