[Margaret Pilkington]

Your GP is paid to look after you whether you visit the practice or not. So if you go and get your care delivered by someone else(like a walk in centre) your GP is getting paid for doing nothing.
Michael, your situation is slightly different as you were a 'temporary resident'...and a town like Blackpool will always have loads of those.

The population has increased by more than 10% over the last decade...hospital services have shrunk by a similar amount( beds closed, hospital wards closed, A&E departments closed... Ok some areas got Urgent care centres as an alternative, if you can call them that)
Ask the people of Burnley how they feel about having the journey to Blackburn to an A&E and see how they feel about it.
If you were in Burnley having a heart attack, I am pretty sure you would not relish the wait for am ambulance to ferry you to the A&E at Blackburn ....and it reduces your chances of survival.