BURY'S NHS Walk In Centre is being forced to reduce its opening hours due to high levels of staff sickness.

The centre, in Parsons Lane, Bury, will now be open between 9am to 6pm daily, including weekends.

The early closure means the blood testing service is no longer available and patients wanting this service should contact their GP's surgery.

Evan Boucher, chief executive of Bury PCT, said: "I would stress that this is only a temporary reduction in opening times and we are actively working with colleagues to find a solution to enable services to resume to full capacity at the very earliest opportunity. I would apologise if these temporary arrangements cause any inconvenience."

Patients are reminded that Prestwich NHS Walk in Centre, in Fairfax Road, is unaffected by the temporary closure. Opening times are Monday to Friday 8am to 9pm, weekends and Bank Holidays 9am to 5pm.

Patients can also contact NHS Direct, a free and confidential 24-hour nurse advice and health information service, on 0845 46 47 or by visiting www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk.