Telford to lose walk-in centre - 3,000 patients will need new GP practice

It means that nearly 3,000 patients registered at Malling Health Telford service, in Sherwood Row, will be forced to move elsewhere by the end of July.

Telford and Wrekin Clinical Commissioning Group has been reviewing its contract for the service, which provides GP services to both registered and walk-in patients who require urgent non-emergency care.

Health bosses have found that walk-in capacity is "under-utilised" and conditions are "cramped" and not fit for purpose, according to a report to Telford & Wrekin Council's health and adult care scrutiny committee. The practice operates from a retail unit above shops in Telford Shopping Centre.

The report, which has been drawn up by the CCG, says it has been mutually agreed to end the contract at the end of July and axe the walk-in service, which will no longer be available from April 1. Opening hours would immediately reduce and registered patients will have to move to another GP practice by the end of July.

However, it is also proposed to extend opening hours at Malling Health Wrekin, a GP practice and walk-in centre at Princess Royal Hospital, by two hours a day – meaning the new hours would run from 8am to 10pm. The changes would mean reduced availability for registered patient appointments at peak times in order to cater for walk-in patients.

The council's scrutiny committee will be asked to support the proposals at a meeting on Tuesday.

According to the report, there are about 7,500 registered patients at Malling Health Wrekin but a review found that walk-in capacity there was also "under-utilised".

It states that the premises is not deemed fit for purpose to provide primary care at scale in line with future plans.

The CCG also found that instead of diverting patients away from A&E, the opposite had happened when people were unable to get immediate access to appointments.

Telford and Wrekin CCG spokesman Richard Caddy said: "As of April 1 the walk-in facility at the Malling town centre site will no longer be available and in its place extra capacity for walk-in patients will be available at the Malling Wrekin site.

"The contract with the Malling town centre site finishes at the end of July and we have mutually agreed with the provider that we accept notice not to continue with it.

"This is because the practice is very small and limited in capacity and therefore other arrangements will need to be put into place.

"We will be doing all we can to work with registered patients to find an alternative GP ready for when the practice closes in July.

"As a CCG we also need to review the Malling Wrekin contract for a number of reasons including, a premises that we would consider not to be fit for purpose going forward."

If councillors give their approval, a public consultation will be held where people can share their views on what they want a future walk-in service to look like.

The council's health and adult care scrutiny committee meets at the Park Lane Centre, in Woodside, on Tuesday at 12.30pm.