AS a user of Bitterne Walk-in Centre I was delighted that there has been a reprieve – even if only for further consideration.

While it is vital for people who cannot get appointments with a doctor in a reasonable time, it is equally vital for working people who cannot or do not wish to take time off work to seek medical care.

I understood that this was the original rationale for its existence, as so many working hours were being lost, and with an economy in long-term recession this addressed the problem of absenteeism for medical care.

While I recognise that it is a valuable resource for pensioners, and I am delighted to see so many attending the protest meetings, it is more valuable for working people who cannot get to a doctor during surgery hours.

When I have visited, having failed to get any appointment with my doctor, let alone one a few weeks hence, I see a broad cross-section of the population in the queue, which is exactly the way it should be.

I deplore the condescending opinion of the authorities that the centre does not see people with real ailments just ‘coughs and colds’.

This is ill-informed and arrant nonsense.

ELIZABETH EVERETT, Bitterne, Southampton.