URGENT TREATMENT CENTRES UP AND RUNNING
17 October 2019
The Urgent Care Centres at George Eliot Hospital in Nuneaton and the Hospital of St Cross in Rugby have been given the go ahead to become Urgent Treatment Centres. This is part of a new national initiative to standardise and improve the care offered in non-life threatening situations, as set out in the NHS Long Term Plan.
The new Urgent Treatment Centres will offer appointment bookings via NHS 111 in addition to the normal walk in services, giving local patients more convenient ways to access urgent care when they need it most.
All Urgent Treatment Centres across England will need to meet the same criteria and offer the same services, including being required to open for at least 12 hours a day, every day of the year, including bank holidays. This means that patients can be assured of a standardised set of services, wherever they are in the country.
Dr Martin Sandler, Deputy Medical Director at George Eliot Hospital said: “We are pleased that George Eliot Hospital’s Urgent Care Centre has been approved to become one of the first Urgent Treatment Centre in the local area, and that we will be accepting appointments booked through NHS111. Our opening hours remain unchanged – from 8am till 8pm - and we will continue to provide advice and treatment on sprains, suspected broken limbs, other minor injuries and children’s ailments. We will continue to work closely with on-site GPs to deliver the service.”
Dr Rob Simpson, Emergency Medicine Clinical Group Director for University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust said: “We are delighted that Rugby Urgent Care Centre has been approved to become Rugby Urgent Treatment Centre. We have a large single Emergency Care Practitioner team that works across both sites of University Hospital Coventry and the Hospital of St Cross Rugby so patients can be assured of the quality of the skills and expertise of those treating them as well as knowing the staff can access wider specialist support when it is needed.
“The service will continue to be open 24 hours a day all year round including bank holidays providing advice on sprains, suspected broken limbs and other minor injuries. We will be working closely with colleagues in primary care to deliver this service.”
Press release from George Eliot Hospital NHS Trust.