A PENSIONER has praised the publicly criticised walk-in centre at Leigh Infirmary as his "life-saver".

Thomas Kelly, 74, of Walton Close, Leigh, said that only the quick action of nurses had saved his life. As reported in The Journal, the walk-in centre was slammed by consumer group WHICH after they sent three "patients" to the Leigh centre who were apparently not properly diagnosed by staff. The Consumer Council medical experts called the walk-in centre "a waste of NHS staff and resources" in an article in WHICH magazine.

But Mr Kelly, a retired draughtsman, said the staff had spotted that a swollen artery in his body was dangerously close to bursting. The pensioner had collapsed at home six days before Christmas.

He was taken to the walk-in centre by his wife and son because Mr Kelly's own doctor was unavailable. Staff assesed his condition and sent him by ambulance to the accident and emergency department at Wigan Infirmary. The surgeons rushed him into the operating theatre for open heart surgery on his aorta - the main artery from the heart. Mr Kelly said: "Without the speedy diagnosis from the staff at the walk-in centre, I would not be alive now. I owe my life to them. If my aneurism in my aorta had burst it would have killed me. The surgeon operated on me just half an hour after I went into accident and emergency."

The local watchdog, the Wigan and Leigh Community Health Council (CHC), has also praised the walk-in centre -- one of only 38 in the country.

They called the facilities "well run" and applauded the staff as "dedicated and professional".