SALISBURY'S walk-in medical centre will be closed during the day after cash-strapped health bosses decided to slash its opening hours by more than half.

Salisbury Walk in Centre at the Central Health Clinic, currently open 8am-8pm, 365 days a year, will effectively become an out-of-hours service, opening only in the evenings and at weekends.

Health bosses at Wiltshire Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) say the change is an attempt to take pressure off Salisbury Hospital’s emergency department.

The centre will open 6.30pm to 10pm, Monday to Friday, and 8am to 8pm on weekends and bank holidays.

This will mean an overall reduction in opening hours from 84 hours a week to 41.5.

The changes take effect on August 1.

A statement from Wiltshire CCG said: “This is so that the Walk in Centre is open at the times when patients need the services the most, and so that people avoid having to attend the A&E department at the hospital.

“The Walk in Centre will be open from Monday to Friday 6.30pm until 10pm and then on Saturdays, Sundays and Bank Holidays, from 8am until 8pm as currently.

“If people need to access services during the day time Monday to Friday then they should ring their GP in the normal way. Alternatively, people can ring 111 and they will be directed to the service which is most appropriate for their needs.”

Salisbury GP Helena McKeown said the decision was bound to increase pressure on GPs.

“I’m surprised because I know the walk-in centre is very popular with patients in Salisbury,” she said.

“But I’m unsurprised bearing in mind the financial straights of the NHS.”