The petition of residents of Redditch County,
Declares that as part of the consultation into Acute services in Worcestershire in 2017 which saw overnight paediatric care centralised at the Worcestershire Royal Hospital, the local Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) promised to bring forward plans for a GP-led urgent care centre in Redditch; further that was understood to be an essential part of the proposed model for Acute services which was brought before the West Midlands Clinical Senate and the boards of the three local CCGs; however there is still no timetable for delivery of the urgent care centre; further that once the children’s A&E was centralised to Worcester, residents were told there would be an urgent care service for under 16-year-old very sick children provided at the Alexandra Hospital in Redditch; and further that would give parents peace of mind that their loved ones would be assessed, in a place familiar to them, especially for those who have difficulty travelling to Worcester.
The petitioners therefore request that the House of Commons urges the Government to press the local health authorities in Redditch and Worcester to publish their detailed plans for the implementation of the said urgent care centre.
And the petitioners remain, etc.—[Presented by Rachel Maclean, Official Report, 23 May 2018; Vol. 641, c. 956.]
[P002150]
Observations from the Minister for Health (Stephen Barclay):
The proposed reconfigurations under the acute service review took place under emergency measures over the previous two years (Maternity, Paediatrics and Acute Surgery). Our understanding is that the only aspect that has not yet been implemented is the urgent care centre proposal for the Alexandra hospital site in Redditch.
South Worcestershire CCG is currently working through the detail of the national guidance that has been issued with regard to urgent care centres, prior to commissioning a revised model for the Alexandra hospital site. The CCG is aiming for the centre to be open by December 2018. We would urge the CCG to publish any additional plans for implementation as soon as is possible, to ensure the local population are kept up to date with plans and progress.
The CCGs are currently in the process of scoping out a range of options for the operational approach to the development of the UTC, including how it best interfaces with other local services such as the primary care out of hours services also based at the Alexandra Hospital and Neighbourhood Teams within the local community.
Rather than children being seen by A&E professionals, the UTC at the Alexandra Hospital will provide access to a primary care professional who will be experienced in treating a broad range of child health conditions. If a child was poorly enough to require admission to hospital, then they would need to be transferred to either Worcester or Birmingham.
For clarification, urgent treatment centres encapsulate urgent care centres; there has been a change of terminology designed to prevent confusion. More information on this change can be found here: https://www.england .nhs.uk/urgent-emergency-care/urgent-treatment-centres/.