Only three per cent of the public accessing services at their local community health centre compared to ten per cent in the rest of the country.

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Queen Mary's losing in-patient surgery, which means it would no longer carry out operations such as knee and hip replacements and in effect become a community health centre.

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The plan includes a number of community projects, such as a health centre and a school.

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Lead researcher Dr Michelle Haby, from the Centre for Community Child Health, Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne, told BBC News Online why polyunsaturated fats might be linked to asthma.

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In principle, that means patients should be able to access services closer to home or in the community "hub", which will be their local health centre.

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The "health week" sessions will be run by Reading Community Learning Centre, Berkshire West Primary Care Trust and Reading Borough Council.

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On the estate is a health centre, a convenience store, a pub and two community centres, one with sporting facilities the other with numerous resident-led social events.

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Echoing the concerns, Prof Allyson Pollock, director of the Centre for International Public Health Policy, said alternative providers, such as NHS 24, community pharmacists and ambulance personnel, were not a substitute for doctors providing traditional GP care.

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