Norwich NHS walk-in centre saved by new contractor

One Norwich Practices said about 80,000 residents from the Norfolk and Waveney area utilise services from the walk-in centre annually

A care company is due to take on tens of thousands of patients in Norfolk after the previous provider pulled out due to financial issues.

In October, One Norwich Practices said it could not continue running services beyond 2023 including the city's walk-in centre.

The NHS said a local alliance of GP practices had been awarded a caretaker contract until 2025.

An NHS spokesman said "this has been an incredibly difficult time" for staff.

As well as the Norwich Walk-in Centre, the North Norfolk Primary Care alliance will take over the Vulnerable Adults Service and the registered patient list of Norwich Practices Health Centre - all of which were run by One Norwich Practices.

Agreement reached

"We know this has been an incredibly difficult time for all staff," said Mark Burgis, executive director of patients and communities at the NHS Norfolk and Waveney Integrated Care Board (ICB).

Paul Wood, interim chief executive at One Norwich Practices, said about 80,000 people living in the Norfolk and Waveney ICB area use the walk-in centre each year.

"We wish [staff] well in their new organisations where they can continue to develop and thrive," said Mr Wood.

James Leeming, chief executive officer at North Norfolk Primary Care, said: "We are pleased to have reached agreement on the contracts that will provide security to the staff."

A provider has been awarded a contract to run Norwich walk-in centre until March 2025

The ICB also said a second provider - the Norfolk Community Health and Care NHS Trust - would take on a caretaker contract for the Lymphoedema Service until April 2026.

One Norwich Practices previously revealed that it "cannot remain financially and operationally sustainable beyond 2023".

The ICB said One Norwich Practices would continue to try finding suitable providers to take on some of its other patient services that still needed new contractors.