SILHILLIANS are being encouraged to share their views on plans to improve urgent care services.
NHS Birmingham and Solihull has launched a consultation on how people access care in neighbourhoods via Urgent Treatment Centres (UTCs) and GP out-of-hours services for urgent but non-life-threatening conditions such as sprains, suspected broken bones, rashes and infections.
The NHS say UTCs currently provide safe care across Birmingham and Solihull, but they do not meet national standards and patient experience varies between sites.
From differences in opening hours, staffing, access to tests such as X-rays, and whether people need appointments or can walk in can make services harder to understand and use.
Similarly, when GP practices are closed, most face-to-face out-of-hours appointments currently take place at a central hub in inner-city Birmingham, with limited appointments available elsewhere.
To address these challenges and reduce pressure on A&E departments, the NHS is investing in new Urgent Treatment Centres at Good Hope Hospital, Birmingham Heartlands Hospital, Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham, and Midland Metropolitan University Hospital in Smethwick. Alongside this investment, the NHS is asking residents to help shape how urgent care services could work better in local neighbourhoods.
The consultation sets out two options for improving neighbourhood urgent care, including UTCs and GP services outside normal opening hours.
Both options aim to make services more consistent, easier to understand and better aligned with local needs – improving services in different ways and in different areas.
The NHS say no decisions have been made and public feedback will play a key role in shaping the future of urgent care services.
Richard Kirby, chief executive of Birmingham Community Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, said: “Community health services are central to how urgent care is delivered, particularly when it comes to supporting people in their local neighbourhoods and closer to home.
“The options set out in this consultation are designed to strengthen the role of neighbourhood-based services and ensure urgent care is better integrated with wider health and social care provision.
“By developing a more locality-focused model, we can improve coordination between community services, GP out-of-hours care and Urgent Treatment Centres, helping people access the right support in the right place. This approach supports the wider health and social care system by reducing unnecessary hospital attendance and enabling care to be delivered in ways that reflect the needs of local communities.”
The consultation runs until April 16.
For more, to see the survey and information about consultation events click here.
