‘DRAMATIC changes’ to the way primary care is delivered in Hyndburn are on the way with the closure of the walk-in centre at Accrington Victoria Hospital next year.

The walk-in centre currently provides additional GP services to patients in the borough from 8am until 8.30pm seven days a week.

However the contract for the service will end in March.

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Yesterday, Hyndburn’s MP Graham Jones, who has campaigned for the the centre to remain open, published a letter from Mark Youlton, chief officer at East Lancashire Clinical Commissioning Group, on his website.

The letter states: “We aim to replace the walk-in element of the health access centre based in Hyndburn with extended hours access to general practice from five locations across East Lancashire. One of these will be in Hyndburn.”

The letter proposes a hub in Hyndburn although its location has not been revealed and also says how services will be run after the walk-in centre closes.

Mr Youlton adds: “The hub will offer additional GP or specialist nurse appointments from 4pm-8pm Monday to Friday and 9am-1pm on Saturday as well as and urgent care service from 8am to 8pm on Saturday and Sunday.

“Additional children’s appointments will also be provided in the hub to support mums and dads when children are home from nursery and school. This will be in addition to the minor injuries unit and the GP out of hours service.

“Patients will only need to ring their GP practice and calls will be routed to the GP health hub to arrange access.

“The benefits of this model are that patients will have access to bookable GP services 12 hours a day, seven days a week.”

Mr Jones said: “This will be a dramatic change in the way health services are delivered.

“I have long opposed the closure of the walk in centre. It is of great benefit to working people and notably parents. It is now going to close some time in the future to be replaced by a cheaper system and people should be in no doubt this is due to NHS funding cuts.

“There are positives to the new system with increased access to specialist nurses and other forms of care so my feelings are mixed.”

“I had numerous conversations with the CCG over the last few years expressing my feelings and I have an enormous amount of time for the chief officer, Mark Youlton. We all should have.”