Staff at Albury After Hours Clinic were sad and still in disbelief on the weekend when the clinic closed its doors after more than 13 years.
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After a constant battle for government funding and getting doctors to work over the years, fears for the health of staff due to the coronavirus pandemic and a drop in patient numbers was the final catalyst for closure.
Business manager Janine Hill said the region's GPs were just as shocked as them.
They considered closing temporarily during the pandemic, but decided it was not fair to keep staff on hold.
"It's a big part of our lives, not just for the community service that we bring," Ms Hill said.
"It hasn't been an easy ride, it's been a challenge every year ... We're not equipped to be dealing with a pandemic of that sort here.
"We don't have all the personal protective equipment and the GPs are working twice as hard in their own practices to contain it.
"This had to take a back seat."
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Patients had expressed worries about what to do if they needed after-hours care, because it was not offered by their local GP practice.
Ms Hill said she would like to see the clinic open again in the future, but with practices now having to go back to providing their own after hours care, she was not sure if they would still want the service after the pandemic ends.
"There may be that flip side of they might appreciate the service now it's gone," she said.
Some of the staff had been working at the clinic for more than a decade and were still processing the news.
Ms Hill said much of the financial incentives for providing after-hours care had gone to GP practices over the years, rather than the clinic, despite them doing the work.
"When you do that year after year, it does wear a bit thin," she said.
"Funding's got really tight."