Plans have come forward to create a new urgent treatment centre at Stafford’s County Hospital.
If the application is approved by Stafford Borough Council, a new single storey extension will be constructed next to the existing A&E department at the Weston Road hospital site to house the new centre.
NHS Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent Integrated Care Board (ICB), which oversees health services across the area, is introducing urgent treatment centres (UTCs) as part of a national programme and plans have also been submitted to Stoke-on-Trent City Council for a UTC at Royal Stoke University Hospital.
The aim is to provide urgent care services at least 12 hours a day to patients of all ages, treat minor illnesses as well as injuries and be able to receive patients arriving by ambulance and access their electronic records.
UTCs will treat a range of common injuries and illnesses that patients currently attend emergency departments for, such as suspected broken bones, abdominal pain, minor head and eye injuries, minor burns and scalds, skin infections, feverish illnesses and cuts that need stitches. X-ray services are also set to be available during the full opening hours.
A design and access statement submitted as part of the Stafford application said: “The development of an Urgent Treatment Centre (UTC) at County Hospital arises from an identified need to align local urgent care services with national healthcare standards.
“Currently, the hospital operates a 14-hour emergency care model, which is no longer consistent with NHS England’s national expectations for urgent care delivery.
“In response, local commissioners, in collaboration with NHS England regional teams, are redesigning urgent care services to divert appropriate cases away from traditional A&E departments, promoting a more efficient and patient-focused model.
“The proposed UTC will form a central component of this service transformation – by providing a dedicated facility for the treatment of minor illnesses and injuries across all age groups, the UTC will enhance patient experience, reduce the burden on the A&E department, and improve overall system efficiency.
“The County Hospital Strategic Board has formally approved the establishment of the UTC on the existing County Hospital site.
“The new facility will include four treatment rooms, two consulting rooms, a clean utility room, a dirty utility room (and) appropriate sub-waiting area.
“The proposed UTC will be situated to the left of the current A&E department on the currently unused area of land. The location of the department was thoroughly considered as part of a lengthy feasibility exercise, and the most suitable location was selected to ensure the new facility would fit seamlessly with the day-to-day function of the hospital.”
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4 comments
David Moore
I agree with the comments above and I would like to reiterate that this does seem to me like a complete waste of money. Surely the money would be better spent on opening the A&E 24/7 like it used to be and the additional staff that will no doubt man this new UTC, could be better utilised on a 24/7 A&E facility at County Hospital Stafford. I would like to see the stats on the numbers of patients that have had to be diverted to Stoke on Trent because the A&E at County Hospital is closed. We are talking about patients lives here and if for example somebody had a serious illness in the dead of night and lived in Stafford they would have to be diverted to Stoke-on-Trent which could potentially put their life in danger due to the distance! let’s be honest this is exactly what we’re talking about here, patient’s lives! Therefore, the 24/7A&E reinstatement does seem like the most logical and sensible use of any public funds in the interests of patient health care . My question is, has this really been thought about?
Janet Stubbs
The question is where are you going to park the extra cars, Stafford is becoming like Stoke, no where to park.
Why can’t the grassland that runs to the left of the hospital and the main road be used as car parking? More patients and more staff need the confidence to know when they get there they can park.
Wendy Boult
Bring back the 24 hour A&E services that the people of Stafford and surrounding areas need and rightly entitled to. Building yet another extended Part Time A&E will not resolve the issues!
We should also be asking where the funding for this is coming from. ICB are currently responsible for cutting thousands of Personal Health Budgets, leaving people on their own homes without the care they need. Is this the money they are using to pay for this project? Robbing Peter to pay Paul!!!
Mr Carl J Horton
This is ridiculous. Why not just open the A&E department they already have 24hr? Adding yet ANOTHER part-time A&E to the existing part-time A&E is pointless