THE Desumo clinic may have found a way of operating legally without registering with the National Care Standards Commission.

The Worcester clinic was closed down for not registering with the Commission earlier this month.

However, the service may be able to continue without registration if it is headed by an NHS GP.

Desumo office manager Jane May said representatives from the Commission visited the office on Saturday and was due to return to look at the clinic's files and records.

"We won't be doing anything until Friday, but legally, we could run the clinic if it is headed by a GP. That's a way round it," she said

"It's an option we could consider, but at this moment in time we're not thinking about it."

Clinic founder Deborah Ryding, from Ledbury, said last month she thought medical chiefs were trying to undermine organisations that provided an alternative to the combined MMR jab.

Her comments came after a number of private clinics had been reported to the Commission.

Mrs Ryding set up Desumo two years ago because of concern that the combined vaccine caused health problems including autism.

At one point last February, it was dealing with 10,000 calls a day.