Dear colleague,
We are writing to update you on a change to the urgent care facilities at St Peter’s Hospital. From today - 1 November 2018 - the current Urgent Care Centre (UCC) has become a GP-led Urgent Treatment Centre (UTC). UTCs are being rolled out nationally, in line with best practice, and St Peter’s Hospital is in the first wave of Trusts to transition over to this new model.
The UTC is housed in the same building as the current UCC and operated by Greenbrook Healthcare. The UTC model aims to standardise a confusing range of options for patients – e.g. walk-in centres, urgent care centres, minor injury units - and simplify the system so patients know where to go and are clear which services are on offer where.
The first point of contact for anyone requiring out-of-hours urgent care should remain NHS 111, who will be able to book appointments in the UTC if required. The UTC is staffed by GPs and experienced Emergency Nurse Practitioners, who are equipped to diagnose and deal with many of the most common ailments people attend A&E for. This will ease pressure in A&E by ‘ring fencing’ staff in the main A&E department to see and treat the most serious cases.
Benefits for patients
- Longer opening hours – 8am – 2am every day
- Pre-booked, same day and walk-in appointments available (via NHS 111)
- Ability to see and treat paediatric patients of any age as well adults
- Able to issue prescriptions
- Has direct access to other advice and services including mental health
- Range of diagnostic services available
For further information about the UTC at St Peter’s Hospital please see the attached FAQs. We will also be producing an information leaflet for patients that will shortly be published on the Ashford and St Peter’s Hospital website.
If you would like to become more involved in the wider work taking place across North West Surrey to shape out of hospital care please visit The Big Picture web page.
Kind regards
Suzanne Rankin, Chief Executive, Ashford and St Peter’s Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Tom Smerdon, Director of Operations (Unplanned Care), Ashford and St Peter’s Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Dr Charlotte Canniff – Clinical Chair, NHS North West Surrey CCG
Karen Thorburn – Managing Director, NHS North West Surrey CCG