The York and North Yorkshire Primary Care Trust plans to have the 12-hour a day, seven-day-a-week polyclinic, or Darzi centre, in place by next May.

Its services will include an extended hour GP service, mental health counselling, a sexual health clinic and the possibility of a mini A&E centre.

Darzi centres are named after Lord Darzi, whose NHS review proposes the drop-in health centres.

John Palethorpe, chairman of Save Scarborough Hospital Campaign Group, said: "The basic idea is that in time, one by one, the local GP surgeries will go, leaving nobody any choice but to use the super surgery – at this point the spectre of privatisation looms ever closer."

The PCT has stated patients will be able to stay with their GP if they prefer rather than opt to register with the new centre.

However, Mr Palethorpe compared this statement to similar PCT claims some years ago about the centralisation of services to Scarborough Hospital.

He said: "When the Scarborough and North East Yorkshire NHS Health Trust was formed, the plan was that Scarborough Hospital would be the main hospital in a group consisting of Malton, Whitby, Bridlington.

"At the time it was stated that this was being done purely for logistical reasons with the intention of basing purchasing, distribution, catering, finance, administration, laundry and maintenance centrally in Scarborough, avoiding duplication on all four sites.

"It was further stated that no services or staff would be cut at any of the sites – with the events of past years we now know this not to be true. This NHS Trust Board has literally decimated these hospitals, moving everything to Scarborough Hospital."

Mr Palethorpe said since then Scarborough had lost, and would continue to lose, many of the traditional services to bigger hospitals such as York, Leeds and Middlesbrough.

He added: "At each twist and turn of this drive to centralise hospital and GPs' surgeries, the only ones to suffer are the patients. Centralisation has brought longer waiting lists, further to travel for treatment, complete loss of choice and a general deterioration of the services.

"It is clear to see from the example above centralisation cannot and will not work and the only losers will be the long-suffering residents or patients.

"Say no to the super-clinic, anywhere in the town."