HEALTH chiefs have urged people not to use a new walk-in medical centre as a hospital after several seriously ill patients turned up seeking help.

Ambulances had to be called to take patients to hospital as the nurse-led clinic at Dr Piper House, Darlington, is only designed for minor injuries and ailments.

In just ten weeks, more than 6,000 people used the King Street clinic - but they included many cases too severe to be dealt with there.

More than 70 people asked for help after experiencing chest pain and were sent to hospital with suspected heart attacks. Staff also treated two people who had been in a car accident who should have gone straight to hospital.

Patients have also asked for medication reviews which cannot be done at the walk-in centre. Others sought a second opinion after visiting their GP, while some wanted to see the dermatologists, who share the building, when the service is by referral only.

Modern matron Nicola Wharton said: "We are not doctors and we don't have the full range of hospital equipment such as x-ray and scanning machines. We are here to handle minor ailments and injuries."

...but it could host therapies

A new range of therapies is to be offered in Darlington.

The town's primary care trust is hoping to set up a complementary therapies service at Dr Piper House, in King Street.

These include chiropractics, aromatherapy, osteopathy, reflexology, homeopathy, acupuncture, massage and nutritional therapy.

The service development facilitator for the trust, Sue Lawrence, said: "We are a 21st Century organisation and are looking above and beyond the conventional. Used alongside conventional healthcare, complementary therapies can prove to be extremely effective."

Therapies are already widely used in palliative care to help relieve some of the symptoms of serious conditions.

They can also help with back, neck and shoulder pain, indigestion and heartburn, insomnia, hay fever, headaches and pre-menstrual tension.

For more information, contact Mrs Lawrence on (01325) 746248.