The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 274 No 7332 p41
15 January 2005

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News summary

Commuters to be given seven new NHS walk-in centres

Seventy different organisations are bidding to run seven NHS walk-in centres targeted at commuters in London, Leeds, Manchester and Newcastle. The centres are expected to include community pharmacies.

The centres — at Liverpool Street Station, King’s Cross Station, Victoria Station and Canary Wharf in London, and at New Street Station, Leeds, Manchester Piccadilly Station, and Central Station, Newcastle — will be open from 7am to 7pm.

The Department of Health expects more than 30,000 people a year to use each walk-in centre. If expectations are met, similar walk-in centres could be opened in other major cities.

In a survey, a third of potential users said that they would seek advice for cold or influenza symptoms from the centres and a third would expect to get repeat prescriptions.