A PUBLIC consultation will be held to determine the best future for an "underused" medical centre in Bradford.

Hillside Bridge first opened in Barkerend 2008, and is one of the most impressive health centres in the district.

The idea was that people not registered with a GP, including vulnerable people like the homeless and asylum seekers, could use the drop in facility.

But it has suffered from under use, and despite its walk in service being seen as pioneering when it opened, the number of people using it for the services it was intended for has fallen, and the "enhanced primary care services" offered at the centre ended last year.

But a GP service, operating on extended hours, has continued at the centre.

Over the summer a consultation will start to see how Hillside Bridge can best serve the local community, and it will also involve a review of other nearby medical centres and GP practices.

The current contract to run GP services at the site is currently held by Peel Park At Hillside Bridge, but that contract runs out in March. The consultation will see what services the centre provides beyond that.

There will be a assessment of the local services on offer, and what are required in the local area, which the local Clinical Commissioning Group calls the "local primary care home community."

There will also be an "estates review" of the buildings in that same area, which also includes Thornbury Medical Practice, Eccleshill Village Surgery, Undercliffe Health Centre, Barkerend Health Centre, Farrow Medical Centre.

The estate review will look at how the buildings can best be used, review planned housing developments in the area, and where these new residents would be treated, and the current state of the buildings.

At a meeting of Bradford Council's Health and Social Care Overview and Scrutiny Committee on Thursday, members were told that engagement exercises involving those that use these centres would take place in the summer, with a full public consultation running from September to December.

When asked about how the review would effect Hillside Bridge, Victoria Wallace, Deputy Director of Accountable Care Bradford, Bradford CCG said: "Hillside Bridge is one of our better buildings.

"Its big issue is that it is under utilised. It is a great facility. We may end up offering a bigger service from there, we may just keep it as it is.

"We will be looking at the capacity of other practices in the area."

Susan Crowe, from the strategic disability partnership and a co-opted member of the committee, said: "I understand a doctor's surgery is a business, but we need to make sure we meet the needs of the people. We don't want people having to travel further to be dealt with."