Norwich Walk-in Centre to stay open
Plans were being considered to close or cut the hours of the centre
Last updated 19th May 2025
It's been confirmed the Norwich Walk-in Centre will remain open.
Plans were being considered to close the centre or to cut its opening hours as the NHS Norfolk and Waveney Integrated Care Board faces ta £280m shortfall in its budget.
The centre – which sees about 72,000 patients a year almost closed in 2023, but a consultation at the time gained thousands of responses, with many raising fears about access to healthcare. A new contract was then agreed.
Both Alice Macdonald (Norwich North) and Clive Lewis (Norwich South) have been campaigning to save the service.
Ms Macdonal is pleased with the new development:
"This is wonderful news and proof that when Norwich speaks with one voice, we really can make a difference. Thousands of people raised their voice once again to save the Walk-In Centre and I want say a huge thank you to everyone who joined the campaign.
"I am delighted the local NHS board have chosen to listen and keep the Walk-In Centre open. It’s a hugely important service, taking pressure of other parts of the NHS and providing care locally which is aligned with the Government’s plan for the NHS. I am committed to working with the local NHS to ensure my constituents can access the healthcare they need."
Clive Lewis said the news is a relief: "Thousands of people signed Norwich Labour’s door-to-door petition to save the Centre, and many hundreds said no to it in the official consultation. So the city will breathe a huge sigh of relief today.
Leaders at the N&N said the hospital would struggle if the Centre shut, and out-of-hours GP services are currently under threat too. Where would people be expected to go if the Walk-In Centre had shut?
This is the second time a united city has saved our Walk-In centre, and it's the second time we’ve been able to say we saved our Walk-In Centre together. Thank you, Norwich—again!"
Now the ICB say it will put in new contracts for the walk-in centre and the vulnerable adults service. They have also confirmed the GP out of hours service will continue as is.
Ed Garratt OBE, Interim Chief Executive of NHS Norfolk and Waveney ICB, said: “The strategic direction of the ICB is to increase ‘neighbourhood’ level services and improve access to primary care.
“This is in line with the government’s 10 Year Plan, which is due to be published this summer, and will describe a national shift of resources from acute to community services, treatment to prevention and analogue to digital services.
“It therefore makes logical sense to end this consultation and take stock of plans once the 10 Year Plan has been published.”
Sadie Parker, Director of Primary Care for the ICB, added: “The situation has changed since we started the consultation. There is going to be a greater emphasis on developing a neighbourhood health service and we are expecting further national guidance on this, which along with the 10 Year Plan, will help inform how we plan for and provide local health services.
“The ICB will now put in place new contracts for the Norwich Walk-in Centre and the Vulnerable Adults Service, as the current contracts are nearing their end. The GP Out of Hours Service will continue as it is, because the contract is not coming to an end soon.”