The long term future of Harlow’s walk-in centre is still hanging in the balance, according to the local health chief – reports the Harlow Star.
West Essex Primary Care Trust chief executive Aidan Thomas has confirmed that closure is one of the options he is looking at for the Wych Elm centre.
Mr Thomas told a press conference on Tuesday than nationwide government cuts in the NHS had left the PCT no choice but to look at a number of money-saving ideas. A new PCT strategy is being launched to make £8.5 million of annual savings in future in order to meet government targets.
The PCT has to cut around £750,000 from centre costs to meet the budget shortfall.
Savings elsewhere of £300,000 are set to be made by revising long-term medication prescriptions, and a further £800,000 by giving heart patients cheaper medicine.
Harlow MP Bill Rammell is quoted as saying: "I will do everything in my power to stop closure; I do not believe it will close."
But would that include voting against the EU budget deal, which would save vastly more than the cash needed to keep this centre open?
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