Campaigners have fired a warning shot at health chiefs over the controversial decision to close Lincoln’s Walk-in Health Centre at the end of the winter.
Members of the Lincolnshire West Clinical Commissioning Group decided in September that it should be closed in the New Year.
They have said the centre will remain open throughout the winter and will not be closed until proper alternatives are in place for patients.
The move is expected to save the NHS around £1m a year.
But the Lincolnshire Women’s Assembly has now issued a pre-action letter to the CCG, challenging the board to reverse the “fundamentally flawed” decision to close the clinic.
A spokesman said: “We are challenging the CCG to reverse their unlawful decision to run down and close this important resource.
“We are working with a specialist firm of solicitors and are prepared to go to judicial review if necessary.”
The group is crowdfunding to raise money for the legal challenge.
Campaigner Elaine Smith, from Ashby-de-la-Launde, said: “The CCG said they would review the progress of putting in alternative services at the end of November and in January.
“But they have already reduced hours at the walk-in centre and they’re going to have an appointments system, which doesn’t make it a walk-in centre really.
“The letter highlights issues surround the consultation and in particular the equality impact assessment. We feel there’s been negligence in some areas of the consultation – they put forward a proposal to close it when there were not alternative services in place. Ninety-four per cent of people said they did not want it to close.”
A spokesman for the CCG said: “We can confirm we have received a letter from solicitors representing the Lincolnshire Women’s Assembly and are considering our response.”
Article originally appeared on Lincolnshire Live
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