A new walk-in health centre is not needed because there are enough GPs in Barnsley to cope with demand, NHS bosses claim.

Mark Wilkinson, chief officer of NHS Barnsley Clinical Commissioning Group, said there were no plans to open a new GP walk-in centre to replace the one which was at Gateway Plaza which closed because too many people were using it.

The centre, for non-registered patients, was designed to allow people to get treatment for non-urgent medical problems and finally closed in November 2011, more than a year after the walk-in element of the unit was shut.

Mark said the number of people attending the accident and emergency department at Barnsley Hospital had not changed significantly over the past few years but there had been a growth in the number of poorly people attending the department with complex needs, and others who could have gone elsewhere.

He said services such as the NHS 111 service could be used when help was needed urgently, but not in an emergency.

He added: "We are also exploring a bigger role for local pharmacies, for example in the treatment of minor ailments."

Richard Vautrey, deputy chairman of the General Practitioners' Committee, said many walk-in centres had been closed because they were unaffordable.

"The British Medical Association raised concerns when they (walk-in centres) were introduced and felt the money spent would be better invested in GP surgeries so they could extend the services so they could cope with the extra demand.

"There is always a pressure on the number of appointments which is limited by the number of staff. Extra resources means extra staff, which means more appointments.

"It's much better spent on expanding existing services."

He said patients often went to walk in centres for ailments which could often be treated at a chemist or by speaking to someone over the phone.