Yet another U-turn as walk-in centre services to stay until June
ACCRINGTON’S walk-in centre will keep its full service for another two months, after yet another U-turn from health chiefs was compared to a plot line from a soap opera.
The East Lancashire Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) had confirmed as recently as last week that the unit - based at Accrington Victoria Hospital - would begin to be scaled back from April 8 ahead of full closure in June.
However, NHS East Lancashire CCG said this week they have now scrapped this ‘phased closure’ and have decided to spend more time giving information to service users about the replacement services.
A spokesperson said that the Health Access Centre within Accrington Victoria Hospital would still close at 8pm on Sunday, June 17.
They added: “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.”
Coun Miles Parkinson, leader of Hyndburn council, said the whole closure of the walk-in centre had been ‘appallingly handled’ and was based on a ‘business case of lunacy’.
He said: “This seems to be appallingly-handled by the CCG. They don’t have the courtesy to tell anyone. Hyndburn is getting a raw deal and it is imperative that this service remains in the borough.”
Kimberley Whitehead, a leading campaigner who started the 23,000 signature-strong petition against the closure, said the CCG’s indecisiveness was a ‘mockery’.
She said: “This is not only messing the patients about but also the GPs and the staff. It’s like tuning into a soap opera every week, you don’t know what’s coming next, the only thing is this is real life and it’s certainly not entertaining.”
Kimberley added that she hoped the CCG’s next u-turn would be to scrap the closure altogether.
The CCG say that every GP practice in Hyndburn is involved in its new system, which allows patients to make out-of-hours appointments through their GP practice.
These appointments would be from 6.30pm to 8.30pm in the evening during the week, and from 10am to 4pm on a Saturday and 10am until 2pm on a Sunday - in addition to regular practice opening hours.
JON MACPHERSON
A WOMAN stole a takeaway driver’s car keys.
Police a woman took the car keys from the counter at Freddy’s Chicken on Blackburn Road in Accrington.
They have released a picture of a woman they want to speak to.
The incident happened at around 1am on Tuesday, April 3.
PC Graham Hartley said: “He lost business that night and then in the morning had to get it rebarreled.”
Call PC Hartley or PCSO James Southworth on 01254 353103, quoting crime number ED1806531.