Lincoln’s Walk-In Centre will close at the end of February – the Lincolnshire West Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) has announced.
The centre – located on Monks Road – will close from February 5, but will stay open at weekends until February 25.
Sarah-Jane Mills, chief operating officer at Lincolnshire West CCG, said the number of people using the centre ‘has dropped dramatically’.
“Evidence shows there is not a link between pressures at Lincoln County Hospital this winter and the reduction in attendances at the Walk-in Centre.
“The 25 per cent drop in attendances at the Walk-in Centre compared to the same time last year shows that patients are getting a greater understanding of the alternative services.
“They are also making use of them,” she said.
Ahead of this afternoon’s announcement, Lincoln MP Karen Lee took to Twitter and said: “Just completely wrong decision. This will mean a deterioration in healthcare services locally and will impact on A&E.
“[Government] underfunding of our NHS is ultimately responsible for this,” she said.
The news also comes despite 94% of respondents opposing the closure, and nearly 3,000 students signing a petition by the University of Lincoln’s Students’ Union against the decision last year.
Ms Mills went on to add: “It is important not to forget that from April, there will also be an additional 120 hours of primary care appointments available each week in our region.
“Ultimately, this is about getting the best possible health outcomes for the most patients we can – with the limited resources we have available. We fully believe this is the right thing to do.”
More information about the closure can be found on Lincolnshire West CCG’s website.