Urgent treatment walk-in centre shut permanently

An average of 21 patients per day attended the Westgate walk-in centre before it closed, figures showed

An NHS walk-in centre is to be shut down for good.

Health bosses are planning to permanently close the Westgate Urgent Treatment Centre (UTC) in the West End of Newcastle.

The site had been shut on a temporary basis for two years due to staffing shortages, but NHS chiefs have now confirmed it will not reopen.

Instead, a new urgent care service at the Royal Victoria Infirmary (RVI) in the city centre has been proposed.

In a report, healthcare officials said the closure of the centre had resulted in "no significant increase" in pressure on the RVI’s emergency department or the remaining walk-in centres in Byker and Cowgate.

Addressing plans for the new development, the report to Newcastle City Council's health scrutiny committee said, there had been an increasing number of people attending the emergency department, but not necessarily with a life-threatening emergencies.

"The new site will allow us to expand the provision of urgent healthcare services, with patients able to see the right person, first time," it stated.

It is proposed the new facility will open in November 2025, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

A lack of available GPs and nurse practitioners to safely staff the Westgate Road site had been cited previously as the reason for its closure.

Figures published previously also showed that the number of GP shifts being covered at the UTC had dipped to 63% before its closure and that an average of 21 patients per day attended.

The North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board said that UTCs in Ponteland Road in Cowgate and Molineux Street in Byker would continue to operate as normal.