Newark: Views sought on future of urgent treatment centre

During Covid, Newark's urgent treatment centre was closed for overnight admissions and extended in 2021, 2022, and again in June 2023

Residents' views are being sought on the future of an urgent treatment centre in Nottinghamshire.

Newark's urgent treatment centre was temporarily closed for overnight admissions during Covid, but this was extended in 2021, 2022 and again in June 2023.

The Integrated Care Board (ICB) said it was not possible to safely staff the centre overnight.

Now the NHS is asking people for their views on its opening hours.

Victoria Mcgregor-Riley, of the ICB - which organises local healthcare services - told the Local Democracy Reporting Service bosses wanted a "sustainable solution" for the centre.

"We recognise the lack of certainty isn't helpful and we are trying to secure that," she said.

"We want this to be a solution that offers permanence."

The centre is currently open from 09:00 to 22:00, seven days a week.

It treats patients with injuries including cuts, simple broken bones, wounds, minor burns and minor head, eye and back injuries.

The unit is currently open from 09:00 to 22:00, seven days per week

Prior to the pandemic, the centre was often closed overnight at short notice due to lack of staff.

The ICB said when it was open overnight, it would treat - on average - one patient per hour, compared to four to six patients per hour during the day.

Ms Mcgregor-Riley added: "We've still got concerns about safe staffing levels should the urgent treatment centre open overnight again.

"At this moment in time, we're minded to consider retaining what we've got under temporary arrangements.

"We're keen to hear from people as part of the licensing exercise to make sure we've got the right services at the right time."

'We're going to have to campaign'

Newark's A&E department was downgraded in 2011 before being "enhanced" with new services in 2014 and 2016.

Plans to go from an "urgent care centre" to an "urgent treatment centre" were hailed as a vote of confidence by some officials.

Paul Baggaley, secretary of the Say Yes to Newark Hospital Campaign, said: "They downgraded it from an A&E in 2012, when we were complaining about ambulance waits of one hour.

"Ambulance waits are now over four hours and many of these are for minor injuries and emergencies which could easily be treated at Newark hospital, but they are not brought here.

"The reason why attendance is so low between 10pm and 9am is simply because the protocols don't allow ambulance crews to bring those patients to Newark.

"We're 23 miles away from any major A&E. There are minor injuries and emergencies that can be treated locally. It makes sense to treat them locally because you're not tying up ambulances and it takes of the pressure of A&E's as well.

"If people in Newark don't want this service to change, we're going to have to campaign against it."

Dave Briggs said "public engagement" was an important step to making a decision

Dave Briggs, medical director at the Nottingham and Nottinghamshire ICB, said regularly closing the overnight service at short notice "gave a level of uncertainty" to people, adding it was "not acceptable".

He said the closure provided "additional benefits" including improving the quality of care in the daytime.

However, he insisted a "public engagement" was an important step, saying: "We have not made any decisions, we really want to hear the views."

An online survey will be available from Monday, with events open to residents from 19 September.