The Estuary View Medical Centre is seeing an upsurge in patients in the wake of the growing pressure on major A&E centres.

The site, which is a minor injuries unit, saw an average of 50 patients a day in December, up nearly 20% over the same period in 2013.

It comes as NHS England figures showed this week that nationally, just 83.1% of patients were treated within the four-hour target in the week before Christmas.

The Estuary View site offers x-rays and has never once breached the four-hour target, within which the NHS states that 95% of all A&E patients should be seen.

Dr John Ribchester, senior partner at Whitstable Medical Practice, said: “Every month is different and compared to last year the figures have gone up.

“We now see an average of 50 people a day, but it can be as low as 40 or more than 90, which wasn’t too pleasant, but you can’t predict.

“We do that with extra staff. We have three emergency nurse practitioners working all the time and health care assistants. We are lucky – we have very good staff.”

Recent figures show that 81% of patients at the medical centre spent less than an hour there, with 16% spending between one to two hours and the rest of the percentage seen in under 4 hours.

In December 2014, 50 patients on average came through its doors, compared to 42 the year before.

“The increase is about several factors,” Dr Ribchester added.

“It’s a question of appropriateness. If you have had a stroke, you really need to be in a stroke unit.

“The majority have got injuries that have happened in the last 24 hours; damaged tissues, fractures. The minority are illnesses.

“To give a message that everyone should come to us with whatever would be wrong. You need to try and think what you need and go to the appropriate place.”