Walk-in centres 'not cutting waiting lists'

Friday, 9 March 2007 12:00 AM

NHS walk-in centres have not resulted in shorter waiting times for GP appointments, research reveals.

A British Medical Journal (BMJ) report shows the centres might instead result in services being duplicated as patients are referred back to a GP.

Walk-in centres were introduced in 1999, with the goal of taking the strain from GP's surgeries by providing care for minor illnesses and injuries on the spot.

However, the study by the University of Sheffield shows no evidence the centres have shortened waiting times in GP surgeries, adding their results "do not support the use of walk-in centres for this purpose".

Part of the reason for their findings is because the centres "may have mainly extended the role of first contact services rather than offering an alternative to general practitioners for some conditions", the BMJ study argues.

"Duplication of services could have arisen for several reasons. Patients may have used walk-in centres as a source of a second opinion or to gain reassurance," the researchers add.

"They may have been referred inappropriately to walk-in centres and have had to go back to see their general practitioners. In addition, some nurses in walk-in centres may not have had the skill levels needed and may have sent patients back to the general practitioner."

The study examined 2,509 general practices in 56 primary care trusts in England and 32 walk-in centres within 3km of at least one of these practices between April 2003 and December 2004.

It found a clear increase in the proportion of practices achieving the target waiting time of less than 48 hours to see a GP, but the report argues there is no evidence walk-in centres contribute to this.

Researchers also found evidence waiting times were longer in poorer areas than more wealthy ones.

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