PROTESTERS will gather outside Southampton’s Bitterne Walk-In Centre today to demonstrate against its closure.

City health chiefs sealed the fate of the facility, in Commercial Street, this month when they voted to close it on October 31.

Some campaigners have criticised city council leaders and have called on them to refer the decision to Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt.

However, they say that is not an option open to them.

The City Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) has defended the decision, saying it is in a financially “tight situation” and that the resources spent on the centre must be used to fund other forms of community health care.

Nick Chaffey, from the Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition (TUSC), has organised the event and criticised both Conservative Southampton Itchen MP Royston Smith and the Labour-run council over the closure.

He said:“The Daily Echo has recently covered the ongoing crisis in GP numbers locally and it’s a serious health matter.

“The council has the powers to refer the matter to the Secretary of State for Health and we want Royston Smith to refer this too.

However, Mr Smith said there is no possibility of challenging the decision as the CCG “followed procedure”, and also criticised the way TUSC had carried out their campaign.

He added: “The CCG followed the procedure and we are therefore unable to challenge the decision.

“Now we need to work to ensure our GPs are able to use £3m of the Prime Minister’s Challenge Fund money to enable residents to access their doctors from 8am to 8pm, seven days a week.”

Labour health boss Dave Shields said: “We don’t have that power, there are powers that the scrutiny panel have if certain conditions are met, but they haven’t.

“We’ve made it very clear that we are opposed to it but ultimately it’s the CCG’s decision.”