Public asked to give views on future of NHS centres

People are being urged to attend the first consultation meeting on the future of two NHS walk-in centres.

The future of the centres at Ashfield Health Village and Stapleford Care Centre in Nottinghamshire will be discussed on 1 December in Ashfield.

The options under consideration include expansion, closure and integration with existing A&E services.

The walk-in centres in Stapleford and Ashfield see 37,000 patients a year at a cost of £1.33m.

Public uncertainty

NHS Nottinghamshire County representatives, local GPs and councillors will attend the meeting at the Summit Centre, Kirkby in Ashfield, at 1330 GMT.

The trust said the review was needed because of "public uncertainty about which part of the NHS to use" and a duplication of services.

Many patients do not use the drop-in centres but instead go to busy A&E departments with minor health problems, the NHS said.

Almost 10,000 consultation documents have been distributed across the county outlining the options.

The preferred option by local health professionals is integration with local A&E departments.

The three-month consultation will run until February.