Covid-19 and changes to local A&E Services
Covid-19 and changes to local A&E Services
From Thursday 16 April, Urgent Care Centres (UCCs) at Princess Royal Hospital (PRH) in Telford and the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital (RSH) will temporarily relocate to the Minor Injury Units (MIUs) in Whitchurch and Bridgnorth to form two Urgent Treatment Centres (UTCs).
People with major injuries and illnesses, such as head injuries and breathing difficulties should still attend A&E. The Emergency Departments at PRH and RSH remain open and fully operational 24-hours-a-day, however, these changes will allow us to free up capacity to support those with more serious illnesses and injuries who need the level of care offered at hospital.
The two new UTCs will provide treatment for patients where their care needs are urgent, but non-life threatening. In Bridgnorth, the UTC will be open from 9am to 9pm, seven-days-a-week and be staffed by a rota of GPs and doctors and nurses from SaTH. There will be a GP-led service for minor illnesses and injuries including minor cuts, dislocations and back pain. An enhanced service will also be offered in Whitchurch, with opening hours of 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday.
Dr Arne Rose, Medical Director at Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust (SaTH), which runs RSH and PRH, said: “The safety and wellbeing of all of our patients is our priority. These temporary changes will make sure we are looking after patients who need our care for urgent but non-life threatening situations, minor injuries and illnesses, and also those that need more specialist care in our A&E departments.
“We know some patients have expressed concern about taking up the time of our doctors and nurses in our hospitals at this difficult time and we are very grateful for their support. It is very important that people continue to access urgent care when they need it and we hope the availability of the Urgent Treatment Centres encourage them to do so.”
Jane Povey, Medical Director at Shropshire Community Health NHS Trust, said: “We would like to thank people in advance for their understanding and reassure them that these changes are temporary. They are being managed in a planned way with the best interests of local people and our staff in mind.”
Patients with coronavirus symptoms should follow the government advice by staying at home and using the NHS 111 online coronavirus service to find out what to do. NHS111 will direct those people with symptoms requiring healthcare support to attend the emergency departments at either of the two hospitals.
Anyone requiring medical assistance outside of the opening hours of the two UTCs and two MIUs should call NHS 111 and in an emergency, 999.
Among other measures taken by SaTH to help reduce the spread of coronavirus are the suspension of visiting at both hospitals and a restriction in the number of entrances open to the public at the two hospitals.
Andy Brierley
Necessary at this time, but who makes the decision about whether a condition / injury is urgent?
Confusing what if u don’t have a car !!
Re open cottage hospitals like Newport who could take minor injuries
Abby-Sarah Marsh for ur wrist x
Amanda Roche
Chloe Paice
Amber Marble
Mandy Harris
Bridgnorth and Whitchurch a long way away it’s not like you can ask a neighbour to give you a lift just saying no ones complaining just makeing a point we all concerned about getting the right care for us all to me it just seems a nightmare would of been better a little closer
If this doesn’t prove the need to keep both hospitals fully operational with a&e’s along with the satellite hospitals and maternity units like bridgnorth open and not close them all and have one main hospital then nothing will. I hope those who are insistent on pushing through with “Future Fit” are now seeing the importance of PRH, RSH and satellites hospitals. They would not have the flexibility to make these temporary changes without them.
Anna West
Stu Hall
Babs Graham
Danielle Agyemang
Maman Bhandal Rupinder Kaur Bajwa
Fran Purser
Before going to any A& E facility people really need to consider whether it’s absolutely necessary.
Recent reports have been that A&E depts have been really quiet which indicates how many people abuse the system. If you’ve got a minor cut, graze or a sniffle deal with it yourselves and stop wasting people’s time.
Robyn Maliska
Margaret Orford
Lindsey fyi
Darren Van den Akker
Lucy Byle
This issue goes back a long way. Back in the 70’s they decided to invest in large university hospitals (which is great don’t get me wrong) but at the same time they closed small cottage hospitals and maternity units in the catchment area of the larger hospitals. If funding for both had worked hand in hand then flexibility needed in times like these would have already been inbuilt into the system. Also in hindsight the splitting of health from social care at around the same time has led to a disjointed service and the interdependence of the two services were ignored for too long. Let’s hope that going forward some common sense and joined up thinking can be applied by those planning future services.
What about oswestry.
Julie Bradshaw
Robin Millward
Jane Hyde