A health board has U-turned on its decision to change the provider of the Norwich walk-in centre.
NHS Norfolk and Suffolk Integrated Care Board (ICB) has abandoned plans for Chilvers and McCrea, the UK's biggest private GP chain, to take over the site from Norfolk Primary Care, a community interest company.
A spokesman from the ICB said Norfolk Primary Care will continue to run the walk-in centre in Rouen Road because changing providers "does not align" with its current priorities.
The future of the site, which provides vital healthcare and advice to 6,000 patients every month, has been uncertain for years.
It was taken on by Norfolk Primary Care after the firm that ran the site, One Norwich Practices, collapsed in 2023.
Chilvers and McCrea, which is part of Operose Health, the UK's biggest private GP chain, was granted the contract to run the facility in Norwich from April.
The company faced scrutiny in 2022 after an undercover BBC Panorama investigation about less qualified staff seeing patients without adequate supervision.
The decision to appoint the firm was challenged by local councillors, including Norwich City Council's Green Party leader Lucy Galvin.
She said: "It's vital that our residents, including the most vulnerable, can continue to access good quality, local healthcare services which are shaped by the needs of the city's growing and diverse population.
"Patients and professionals highlighted the risks of the previous closure and procurement plans.
"It will be crucial that everyone's voice is heard in the future, and that this saga of uncertainty is never repeated."
In 2025, the ICB considered closing the walk-in centre to save money but dropped the idea before advertising the contracts for the services, choosing Chilvers and McCrea.
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