Walsall Walk-in Health Centre planned to move to another site in town centre
Health bosses have revealed plans to move Walsall's Walk-in Health Centre to another site in the town centre but say it could remain in its current location until the end of next year.
Walsall Clinical Commissioning Group held a public consultation earlier this year surrounding the future of emergency care and the health centre in Market Square, which had been expected to close next April during town centre regeneration work.
The building is eventually due to be demolished, but bosses have revealed the walk-in centre could remain in its current location until December 2015.
During the public consultation, which ran from May to August, people were asked whether they wanted to see the centre moved to another site in the town centre, relocated to the north of the borough or merged with the existing emergency and urgent care walk-in centre at Manor Hospital.
It has now been revealed that more than 60 per cent of the 562 people who responded want to keep an urgent care walk-in service in the town centre.
Following the feedback, the CCG has now proposed moving the walk-in service to another site in the town centre, subject to approval by the CCG's governing body.
Dr Anand Rischie, a GP in Walsall and the CCG's urgent care clinical lead, said: "We are committed to delivering the best possible urgent and emergency services for Walsall.
"We have listened to what our patients told us and we believe the best option is to keep a walk-in service in the town centre in the short to medium term."
The consultation also set out the longer-term vision to bring some urgent and emergency care services together at Walsall Manor Hospital's A&E department, in a service that would be open 24 hours per day, seven days per week.
Responses were divided, with 41.6 per cent of residents agreeing with the plans, 48.5 per cent disagreeing and 9.8 per cent unsure.
Dr Rischie said: "Many people supported the principles of the longer term vision.
"They said simplified emergency and urgent care services under one roof would reduce confusion, make better use of resources and join up with other services such as tests and X-rays.
"However, they also told us it was more difficult to get to the hospital site using public transport, and parking was expensive and in short supply. We will respond to these challenges as we develop the strategy over the next few years.
"Likewise, the main concern raised about moving the walk-in centre was ease of access. Most patients preferred the town centre because they could use one bus to reach it, whereas they might need two or more buses to travel elsewhere in the borough.
"Based on the town centre developments, the walk-in centre will remain in Market Square until December 2015 at the latest."
