DOCTORS backed a new walk-in medical centre in Weymouth as the first patients arrived for treatment.

Weymouth Community Health Centre is open to anyone but bosses have moved to allay fears that it threatens the future of local GPs’ surgeries.

When the new privately run surgery was announced doctors voiced fears that the centre would ‘poach patients’ and ‘destroy general practices’.

But health centre bosses have been working with and recruiting GPs from those local services and have promised they will not be actively poaching their patients.

GP Paul Jackson is working at the centre while continuing at the Royal Cresent Surgery in Weymouth.

He said: “All of our GPs are from local practices so it’s very much an integrated service.

“People here on holiday who need to see a doctor can either ring or just turn up.

“In the past you would have gone to a surgery and would have to hope that they had an appointment available.

“Part of the problem is that the population goes up three fold here in the summer and GPs are unable to fit extra people in.

“The idea of this centre is to have the capacity to see visitors.”

Each Primary Care Trust has to open a walk-in centre – nicknamed ‘Darzi centres’ after health minister Lord Darzi who called for better access to primary care.

The walk-in centre offers a range of services, including health information, advice and treatment for a range of minor illnesses and ailments.

It can be used by anyone, whether registered with another practice or not, and there is no need to make an appointment.

The new centre is being run on behalf of the NHS by The Practice, a private healthcare company. Dr Jackson said: “We are not trying to get anybody’s patients we are just providing a service.

“It’s patient choice. If a patient chooses to use this service instead of their own that’s fine.

“We always contact the patient’s local GP to let them know there patient has been seen. If people can’t get a quick service somewhere else they may well choose to come here.”

On the first day of opening visitors included those who could not get an appointment with their local GP and visitors from Canada and France.

Project Manager Claire Wise said: “The GP practices down here are brilliant and this is not being put into place to replace them.”

The new walk-in centre – next to the Minor Injuries Unit at the Weymouth Community Hospital – is open from 8am to 8pm and can be used by anyone - whether registered with another practice or not.