HEALTH bosses have performed a u-turn on the phased closure of a walk-in centre.

East Lancashire Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) chiefs had planned to reduce services at Accrington Victoria Hospital’s GP centre on Sundays from April 8.

The change would have seen people redirected to an alternative service on Sundays from this date.

But this will now no longer be happening as they want to give patient more information about the 'full range of services on offer'.

The centre is still due to close on Sunday, June 17 to be replaced by a new system of GP access in the area.

A spokesman for NHS East Lancashire CCG, said: "The Health Access Centre within Accrington Victoria Hospital will close at 8pm on Sunday 17 June 2018.

"From now until then, we have decided there will be no reduction in service. This will allow us to give more information to people who attend the Walk-in-Centre about the full range of local services on offer which includes the new bookable GP service in Hyndburn."

It comes after fierce opposition from campaigners to the closure, after they held a protest against the decision outside the hospital in January.

They said the closure of the facility would have a ‘detrimental effect’ and put more pressure on the A&E department at Royal Blackburn Teaching Hospital and the Minor Injuries Unit at Accrington Victoria.