NHS walk-in centres and the expanding role of primary care nurses

Forty pilot NHS walk-in centres have opened over the past two years to provide drop-in nurse-led primary care in England without the input of doctors. As such, these centres represent a revolution for nurse-led care in the health service. However, research suggests that there is considerable variation in the degree of autonomy and independence exercised by the nurses in the different centres. This article discusses this variation, the role of walk-in centre nurses and how this might develop in future.