Local commissioners should join forces with NHS England and involve patients when making decisions about the future of walk-in centres, according to Monitor.
It has suggested that any proposal to close or change the provision of walk-in centres should consider the impact on other local services such as urgent care, ambulance, hospital A&E departments, and GP surgeries.
Most of these services are effectively purchased by local clinical commissioning groups, but NHS England is directly responsible for commissioning family doctors.
There are currently 185 walk-in centres in England, established over the last decade to improve access to primary care and offer patients more choice. As commissioners prepare to review many of these contracts, Monitor suggests that joint decision-making would be in the best interests of patients in future.
