Bury’s NHS Clinical Commissioning Group is yet again consulting on the future of the Walk-In Centres.

Readers will remember news in December – fairly simplistically reported by the press as ‘Walk-In Centres Saved’, though now we have a bit more information the truth is not quite so simple.

What are the facts:

Bury is going to have just ONE Urgent Treatment Centre, which will be at Fairfield Hospital in Bury. The Urgent Treatment Centre will be suitable for patients experiencing minor illnesses and injuries. Examples include minor sprains and strains, cuts and grazes, minor burns and abdominal pain. Being located close to A&E, staff will have access to diagnostic tests such as blood tests, urine testing, ECG and X-rays (i.e. for suspected broken bones). The proposal is for this service to be up and running by December 2019 and it will be available to all attending patients. The NHS in Manchester will also be opening a similar Urgent Care Centre at North Manchester Hospital.

In addition to the Urgent Treatment Centre, Bury NHS is proposing to have THREE Integrated Health and Social Care Hubs. It is proposed that there will (initially) be three Integrated Health and Social Care Hubs (Prestwich, Radcliffe and Bury Town Centre).

So we won’t have a Walk-In Centre in Prestwich, but we will have have an Integrated Health and Social Care Hub, so the question is does that meet what local people need and want?

What we’re told is that the IHSCH will include GP led (including nurse) walk-in services; urgent GP appointments; evening and weekend appointments; wound care services and signposting advice to other services and social care advice and services.

What local people are telling us is that they currently find getting a GP appointment difficult, including finding it difficult to get urgent GP appointments, and difficult to get GP appointments at a time that works for people’s lives. IF the IHSCH solves that problem then great, but in logic says the amount of GP appointments that will be available at the centre will be limited, and not the sort of open access that people current enjoy at the Walk-In Centre.

We will be putting these points to the CCG in their consultation, but it is your views that are important. You can take part in the Consultation here. It ends on Sunday 11 March 2018.