Patients using Swindon’s walk-in health centre are to be asked about its future.

And councillors have been assured that nobody will be left without anywhere else to go.

There has been some confusion over whether the clinic in Islington Street in the centre of Swindon is to shut, after opening almost exactly two years ago. The Clinical Commissioning Group for Swindon, the body responsible for providing services, have said it will not be closed.

Some services will, however, be transferred to an urgent treatment centre based at Great Western Hospital in the south east of the town.

Nicki Millin, the accountable officer for the CCG, told councillors and other members of Swindon Borough Council’s adults health, care and housing overview and scrutiny committee: “Currently, we know people use the walk-in centre for a wide range ranging from needing a blood test to having a wound dressing.

“These are not necessarily urgent but could be accessed through a pre-booked appointment.

“Some people also use the walk-in centre because they are unable to get an appointment with their GP or have been directed there by their practice.

“The CCG does need to further understand the numbers of people that use the walk-in centre for this reason.”

Services at the centre are currently run by the trust which also runs Great Western Hospital, but it will be transferred to Medvivo, which has not been commissioned to provide an urgent walk-in service.

Kevin McNamara, the director for strategy at the hospital, told the committee: “One reason for the consultation and monitoring is to make sure that of all the people who use the centre don’t become a group without anywhere to go.”

He added: “This has been delayed for a while because of the problems with IMH (the private company responsible for problems at five Swindon GP surgeries) – we didn’t think it would be wise to do this while those problems were ongoing.”

The hospital is soon to upgrade the urgent care centre it runs next to its accident and emergency department to an urgent treatment centre.

Asked by councillor Bob Wright what the difference is, Ms Millin said: “An urgent treatment centre also has an element of diagnostics. It has to be able to access services like x-ray and pathology, which can only be done at GWH.”

She told the committee a number of services will definitely continue at the Islington Street site, including children’s clinic, treatment for the homeless, urgent on-the-day treatment which would be booked after a call to a patient’s GP, blood services and wound care – where patients can get wounds stitched – but she said that would need to be a booked appointment service.