A&E eased by Urgent Care centres
● ABIGAIL DONOGHUE
HALTON’S Urgent Care Centres (UCC) have helped to reduce A&E attendance according to report from an independent watchdog.
In a survey conducted by Healthwatch Halton (HH), one in two people, or 52% said they would have gone to A&E if the centres had not been available.
Healthwatch Halton started conducting visits to the UCCs in 2015. Every year it visits over a few months to gather a range of views about the establishments.
A total of 59% of people using the UCC said they hadn’t looked for help anywhere else before attending.
And 98 people had sought help elsewhere. It found 91% had contacted their GP first, five being referred to the UCC and the rest being told there were no appointments available.
According to NHS Halton CCG, one of the main targets for the UCCs was to reduce A&E attendances in the borough by 15%. However, it has also reduced some pressure on GP practices.
The survey was taken in two parts, half before treatment and half after, and 241 people took part in the survey,
Eighty-eight per cent of attendees gave UCC facilities four or five stars, with 95% likely, or extremely likely to recommend them.
Healthwatch Halton said that the staff at the UCCs should be highly praised.
To improve, HH said Widnes UCC should install an electronic information screen, like Runcorn, to make seeing waiting times easier for everyone.
It found that parking was difficult for many at the Widnes facilty due to limited space. Many people did not realise there is a car park for the UCC across the road, as it is poorly signposted.
It was also felt that the UCCs are not promoted enough. HH would like to see more information posters about what conditions can be treated at a UCC placed around GP practices, local hospitals, and pharmacies.
Nicky Ambrose-Miney, senior commissioning manager urgent care, NHS Halton CCG, said: “As commissioners of the service we are seeking to improve the services offered by the UCCs and as part of our improvement plan for 2018-19 we will address the recommendations within the report and ensure our UCCs are part of an integrated urgent care system and meet the national directive of Urgent Treatment Centres.
‘‘It is anticipated through the development of Urgent Treatment Centres, in conjunction with current providers, we will be looking to enhance and better promote the ranges of services provided and raise more awareness of the centres as suggested in the recommendations.”
A Bridgewater Community Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust spokesman said: “This report clearly demonstrates the high quality patient care provided at NHS Widnes UCC and the key role the centre plays in alleviating the pressures on local A&E departments.
“We are pleased that this report shows high patient satisfaction rates and that many of our users are repeat visitors to the service.
“However, we are committed to continually improving so patients visiting our service have the best experience possible. As a result, we will be working hard over the coming months to implement many of the suggestions raised by Healthwatch Halton.”
The UCC is run by a team of multidisciplinary staff consisting of a doctor and nurses, all of who are experienced at diagnosing and treating minor injuries or illnesses. Diagnostic facilities like X-ray are also available.
The UCCs now also have a GP available between noon and 6pm each day.
They are open seven days a week from 7am to 10pm and are free to use.