Rail stations offer walk-in GP surgeries

Commuters will soon be able to consult a doctor at walk-in surgeries at major London railway stations.

Health Minister John Hutton was due to announce today that four mini-clinics will open in mid-2005 in London, with others in Newcastle, Manchester and Leeds.

They will be free to patients and could be run by private or voluntary organisations or local GPs.

They will offer the same range of services that all GPs and nurses do - such as treatment for minor injuries, prescriptions and health checks - but patients will not need an appointment.

They are likely to be open from 7am to 7pm and aim to make healthcare convenient for commuters.

It has not been decided where the surgeries will be, but likely locations include Liverpool Street, Waterloo, Paddington and King's Cross. The Department of Health is inviting independent organisations to bid to run the centres and is investing ?25million to cover costs for the first three years.

There are already fee-paying private walk-in centres at Victoria, Paddington, Euston, Bank and Fenchurch Street.

NHS walk-in centres were introduced in 2000 with the aim of taking pressure off GPs and casualty departments and to make access to healthcare easier after office hours.

There are now 57 such centres around the country treating about five million patients a year, but there is concern their existence is not widely known. Mr Hutton said: "The new NHS walk-in centres will make it easier for commuters to fit seeing a GP or nurse around their daily lives. The opening hours and convenient location are ideal for meeting the needs of today's patients.

"These centres will improve access to primary care for a proportion of society that has traditionally been poorly served. They will also improve choice and convenience for patients, while adding extra primary care capacity in the areas where it is needed most."

But the clinics have been met with scepticism as patients' records would not be accessible, jeopardising the safety of treatments.

Dr Hamish Meldrum, chairman of the British Medical Association's GPs committee, said: "The BMA is not against the concept of walk-in centres as an extension to services for patients and we welcome the fact

that GPs will be able to bid for the running of these centres.

"However, we have concerns about further fragmentation of patient care, particularly as we do not yet have a fully functioning electronic record to enable doctors to communicate-speedily with each other." He said the new centres should not act as a drain on resources already allocated to NHS GP services.

"Given the lack of money within local NHS bodies to pay for many of the extra services GP practices would like to provide, it is important that these new commuter centres are funded by new money," he said.

Michael Summers, chairman of the Patients Association, said: "We are delighted to support this extension of NHS walk-in centres, which have already proved beneficial.

"These centres will enable more patients to see a healthcare professional on the way to or from work and avoid making an appointment with their GP. The dual effect will be to take pressure off GPs and A&E."

It is estimated that each year more than 30,000 patients will use the seven new centres and if they are a success, more could be introduced.