THOUSANDS of patients using a new walk-in medical centre in Darlington have eased the workload of their doctor or the hospital, according to new figures.
The £2m medical centre opened in January at Dr Piper House, the headquarters of Darlington Primary Care Trust.
By the end of February, 2,681 people visited the King Street clinic.
Of those, 80 per cent said they would normally have gone to their doctor and 20 per cent to the Memorial Hospital.
Modern matron Nicola Wharton, who runs the centre, said: "People have been coming mainly with earache, coughs, rashes, the flu and fevers rather than minor injuries."
The busiest times of the day were generally between 10am and noon, and about 2pm.
The trust's primary care director, Carole Harder, said: "The walk-in centre is working extremely well and we are getting very positive feedback from patients."
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article