DOCTORS surgeries will be hit by plans to open a new practice at Wycombe Hospital, a health chief said.

The new centre – to take on walk-in and booked patients – will take away patients from town centre surgeries, Nikki Bromwich said.

Yet initial practice worries had been overcome given the benefits, she told councillors today.

None of the surgeries nearest the hospital, Priory, Wye Valley, Desborough Avenue, Chiltern House and Riverside, would comment to the Bucks Free Press today. Carrington House was not available.

The centre, to open in November, is being set up at the demand of the Government over concerns that people in the town cannot get to see a doctor.

It will open from 8am to 8pm seven-days a week and it is hoped the centre will reach out to “hard to reach” groups such as people with drug and alcohol problems.

Asked today if the centre could impact on other practices Mrs Bromwich said: “I would anticipate it would be the case.

“I would hope [the doctors] will look at the reasons why patients are being given a new service or the issues it raises.”

Buckinghamshire NHS Primary Care Trust is to go to the open market to get a business or organisation to run the centre.

She said: “Whoever the provider is, our local GPs will have to work closer with them and I think it will improve services across the county and introduce an element on competition.”

Mrs Bromwich, PCT assistant director of urgent care, said: “Initially there were worries about the destabilisation but they are beginning to accept it is a good thing.”

Yet councillor Pauline Wilkinson said parking was “appalling” at the hospital.

Mrs Bromwich said: “I’m not sure what specific issues are being addressed with parking at the moment.”

And councillor Maureen Royston said: “The north of Bucks county gets left out again.

“With Aylesbury as a growth area I would look to see definite plans going forward.”

Yet Mrs Bromwich said: “Financially, we are not able to sustain two centres at the moment.

“The reasoning was “let’s get one up and running and prove it works in Wycombe first”.”

The PCT last June told the Bucks Free Press that the centre was not going ahead as it was “too high risk” (see link, below). It has also ruled out “polyclinic” health centres.

It is part of minister Lord Darzi’s review of the NHS which said 150 GP-led centres should be set up.

Bucks resident Bill Russell told the panel the PCT had been “forced” to press ahead with the plan by the Government.

This was “despite the lack of evidence on the need to improve access” to doctors, he said, and claimed the model was “totally unsuitable”.

The centre would cost a million a year he said – and the cash “could be more usefully used to invest in improving access in other ways”.