Public inquiry call over closure plan for Telford walk-in GP service

Malling Health Wrekin walk-in centre will close in July after Telford and Wrekin clinical commissioning group decided not to renew its contract.

As well as the walk-in facility, the centre has 8,000 patients on its books who will now have to transfer to another GP.

Health bosses said there are staffing issues, including a heavy reliance on locum GPs, and £500,000 would have to be spent on the ageing demountable building where it is based.

But Karen Roper, Wellington Town Council's clerk, said councillors had expressed their "utter dismay" at the decision during a recent meeting.

She said: "Malling Health Wrekin currently provides a GP service and has 8,000 registered patients, however this number does not take into account the many walk-in patients.

"Members of Wellington Town Council report they are being contacted by members of the public who are distressed, worried, concerned and feel absolutely let down by this decision.

"Some have been proactive and report they have tried to find nearby GP practices with space to take them on, but they are being told that they are full and not taking on new patients.

"Wellington health services are at breaking point, yet we are encouraged to approve the building of many new homes bringing more people into the town with no satisfactory health services to support them."

Health bosses claim there is enough capacity at existing GP practices to cater for extra patients, but Wellington Town Council says there should be a public inquiry on the matter.

Ms Roper said: "The only other course of action is for these patients to present themselves at the already overstretched A&E at Princess Royal Hospital and add yet more cost to the NHS budget, which makes no sense."

Health chiefs said patients registered at Malling Health Wrekin would receive a letter in the post, providing details on where and how people can register at an alternative practice.

The CCG's clinical chair Dr Jo Leahy said: "It is understandable that the decision to close the practice at Malling Health Wrekin will be met with some apprehension, but we will reinvest the money in other practices to provide the best and most appropriate care for the local population."