Ritchie Street Health Centre in Angel

DOCTORS at the borough’s only NHS-funded GP walk-in centre say they are planning to “ignore” cuts by the clinical commissioning group (CCG) to keep the service open, the Tribune can reveal.

The walk-in service at Ritchie Street Health Centre in Angel, which is open to non-registered patients, is due to close on March 31 after the local CCG declined to renew its contract.

It’s understood the savings will be pumped into A&E services in the borough, a figure sources put at roughly £750,000, though the CCG says it will be spent on “improved access in primary care”.

But staff at the walk-in centre say the savings are a “drop in the ocean”, and have decided to carry on running the walk-in centre, used by roughly 22,000 people a year, regardless of the CCG’s decision.

Sources at the practice accused the commissioners of “dereliction” for planning to close the walk-in without any replacement of ­ser­vices, and added the current climate of uncertainty around coronavirus was no time to be taking away “vital” primary care.

“Despite what the CCG might say in their adverts or any of their announcements, our ambition is to keep this service open and continuing,” sources at the surgery told the Tribune.

“The government are promising more GP appointments and it’s not a good time to be cutting primary care services.

“For all we know, the practice next door, or one in the north or the south of the borough might be closed down because it needs a deep clean. It has happened to us recently.

“Plus we’re now being told the workforce might take a hit because we’ve got to take care of children if schools close and so on. We want to support our patients and any patient who wants to use this service. But it does depend on people turning up to use it.”

A spokesman for the CCG confirmed funding for the walk-in service would be withdrawn at the end of the month, but added the practice would still be funded for its regular GP services, which currently includes extended opening hours for registered patients.

Ritchie Street Health Centre’s decision to keep the walk-in portion of its offering open will safeguard the jobs of around 15 members of staff, sources confirmed.

It’s thought the service could run at a financial loss initially, but staff say they are “working out the details” and are determined to “find a way” to make it work.

“I’m not sure that there is any commissioning strategy,” sources said.

“The commissioners, and some people might regard this as dereliction, are not replacing this service in any meaningful way whatsoever.

“When I look at the reasons why we’re not being recommissioned, I’m struggling to find answers that hold water.

“The commissioners don’t have the confidence or the vision to see that if you’ve got services that are well-liked and well-used, that are wholly in the NHS like this one, there’s no reason for not continuing them.

“Our budget is less than a million pounds a year. It’s about £750,000. That’s a drop in the ocean for A&E services. But what you get for that from us in terms of more than 20,000 appointments a year is priceless.

“The simple message from us, to anyone who wants to use GP services out of this building, that there is no change.

“Our aim is to continue this service. We will not turn patients away.”

A spokesman for the CCG said there have been a number of improve­ments to how primary care can be accessed locally since Ritchie Street walk-in opened in 2009.

“These include extended GP practice opening hours, with routine access to primary care now available at Laycock Street in central Islington, Hornsey Road in the north and Ritchie Street in the south of the borough,” they added.

“Each of these sites is open from 6.30-8pm Monday to Friday and from 8am to 8pm Saturday, Sunday and bank holidays. Patients can also call 111 for advice on where to go for treatment and be referred to a range of health and care services.”

The spokesman said there were a number of “limitations” to the walk-in model, which led to the decision to close the service after a six-month consultation with residents and patients.

“Based on the same site as the walk-in centre, the GP practice will operate as normal for its own registered patients and continue to receive payment via their GP contract,” they said.

“Patients wishing to access their healthcare from this practice can ask to register as a patient.”

The spokesman added the CCG was “unsure” how the practice’s decision to carry on the walk-in service would work.