A pioneering walk-in medical centre facing an uncertain future looks set to have its contract extended while health bosses work out what to do with it.

Hillside Bridge medical centre in Barkerend was the first of its type in the country when it was opened in 2008 by the then Health Secretary Alan Johnson.

It was built to provide health advice seven days a week for those not registered with a GP or who could not get an appointment, as part of a £250 million investment by the Labour Government aimed at making GPs more accessible.

But health chiefs are now considering its future once its contract comes to an end.

That contract was originally due to end in November, but a report has now revealed that NHS England will allow the service to be extended until March 2014, as long as those providing the service can continue.

This would allow for research to be undertaken into how and why people use the Hillside Bridge centre before any decisions are made.

The report, by Bradford City and Bradford Districts Clinical Commissioning Groups, was drawn up on the request of members of Bradford Council’s Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee.

Committee chairman Councillor Mike Gibbons (Con, Ilkley) welcomed the decision.

He said: “I think this is an eminently sensible and realistic, practical way forward. I welcome the decision. I think it is the right thing to do and it will enable all parties to look afresh at the future use of the centre.”

The groups, which took over the running of GP surgeries on April 1, are concerned the centre is not serving enough hard-to-reach groups.

They originally put forward four options: closing it, running it on a reduced budget, moving it to another location such as an A&E department or commissioning an alternative service which would only serve patients who did not have a GP.

But at the last committee meeting, last month, the group chiefs said they had abandoned plans to move the centre to Bradford Royal Infirmary, and also that they did not want to close it entirely.

The committee next meets to discuss the centre on Thursday.