NHS “pays twice” for patients at walk-in centres who are registered elsewhere, study finds

NHS commissioners in England believe that they are paying twice for patients who attend walk-in centres, as most are already registered with a general practice elsewhere that is getting paid for their care, the health sector regulator Monitor has concluded.

Monitor was looking into the recent closures of more than 50 of the walk-in centres set up under the previous Labour government, including many of the so called Darzi centres set up by the former health minister Ara Darzi to improve access and choice.1

The preliminary findings of Monitor’s study found that only 185 of the 238 walk-in centres opened in the past decade were still operating: 135 that were GP led and 50 that were nurse led.2

The regulator concluded that the closures may have worsened …