Grantham hospital campaigners are urging people use the new Urgent Treatment Centre, or else it may close.

The call follows some people complaining that the 111 service is telling them to go to Lincoln Hospital, when instead they can be treated at Grantham.

Health bosses yesterday re-iterated that the new Urgent Treatment Centre (UTC) is available 24/7 and people can simply walk-in to use it.

The UTC was launched last month, as a 'temporary' measure in place of Grantham Hospital's A&E department as the United Lincolnshire Hospitals Trust (ULHT) sought to create a 'green' area at the hospital free of Covid-19 so it could increase the number of cancer and similar treatments at Grantham Hospital.

The Fighting 4 Grantham Hospital group have posted on Facebook that people should use it. The Group's Jody Clark said: "PLEASE DO USE IT! OR WE WILL LOSE IT! ..........AND JUST WALK IN! "It is staffed by our same A&E staff," she continued, listing the range of services available. Jody added:"If the security guard on the door, asks if you have an appointment, just say Yes and go and book in at reception." The issue of access to the Urgent Treatment Centre was raised yesterday at a meeting of the Lincolnshire Community Health Trust (LCHT0, which currently runs Grantham Hospitals' Urgent Treatment Centre. Jody added: "They reiterated that our UTC is open to walk in access, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week." Grantham councillor Ray Wootten asked LCHT about people being able to access the centre 24/7 without an appointment. He told Nub news today: "People should use it and just walk in." His wife Coun Linda Wootten asked the trust how many had been turned away from the centre, in need of more serious treatment and was told 44, or 3.8 per cent. "It proves we need and A&E in Grantham," she also told Nub News today. When the Urgent Treatment Centre opened in June, some 366 patients reportedly use it, during it's first week of operation.