Walk-in Centre opening hours to be reduced

The opening hours of the walk-in centre (WIC) at the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital are to be reduced from Monday 27 June.

The walk-in centre is run by Northern Devon Healthcare NHS Trust (NDHT).

The WIC is currently open from 7am to 10pm, seven days a week.

From 27 June it will be open from 11am to 7pm, Monday to Friday. There will be no change to opening times at the weekend, when it will continue to be open from 7am to 10pm on Saturday and Sunday.

Recent recruitment efforts have been successful and the Trust hopes to return the service to normal opening hours in the autumn.

There will be no change to opening hours at the walk-in centre on Sidwell Street, Exeter, which will continue to be open from 8am-4pm Monday to Saturday, and 10am to 4pm on Sundays.

Dr Alison Diamond, chief executive of NDHT, said: “We have made the decision to reduce the opening hours of this service due to staffing shortages and we apologise for any disruption this may cause.

“We know this may cause some frustration, but our top priority is to ensure we continue to provide a safe service for our communities and we have taken the necessary steps to achieve this.”

More information about NHS services available locally and opening times can be found on the NHS Choices webpage, at www.nhs.uk