GPs will launch a consultation on the part-closure and relocation of Chessington’s Gosbury Hill health centre.

The centre has faced criticism since opening for turning away patients and not treating injuries.

But a report to Kingston Council’s health scrutiny panel said that “uptake in the service has not been as large as expected”, despite 12-hour, 365-days-a-year opening times.

Now health bosses have said they are “very keen to get it right”.

As part of the proposals, urgent care appointments could be moved to Surbiton Health Centre as part of a walk-in service, and people already registered at Gosbury Hill could re-register with GP practices on the same site or within half a mile.

The consultation, that could see the “walk in” part of the site either close or partially close, is proposed to run for eight weeks, from Tuesday, September 15.

However, a legally-mandated equality impact assessment said more engagement with people who most use Gosbury Hill was needed.

According to reports, this meant parents with young children, the traveller community and the over-60s.

Assessors also warned that moving the service to a more central location in the borough could see a “sharp increase” in patient numbers.

Earlier this year, the Kingston clinical commissioning group claimed it could not discuss the plans with this newspaper because of pre-election “purdah”.