Hospital doctors support Shropshire Walk-In Centre proposals
Senior doctors from The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust have given their backing to proposals which would see the development of a GP-led ‘walk-in service” alongside A&E at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital later this year.
Dr Kevin Eardley, Consultant Renal Physician and Care Group Medical Director for Unscheduled Care at The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust, said:
“One of the big messages from patients is how confusing the NHS can be in an emergency. Currently services across the country are inconsistent and patients can be unsure how to access the right care.
“Providing walk-in services alongside A&E at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital will mean that people who urgently need assessment with non-life threatening injuries or illnesses could be seen more quickly by GP walk-in centre staff.
“The workforce at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital will be enhanced by this move as walk-in staff have particular skills that will support timely and effective management of those presenting with minor illnesses and injuries, whilst providing existing A&E staff with more capacity to manage the most complex and severe illnesses and injuries. Patients would also benefit because walk-in centre staff and A&E staff would work more closely together to share skills, knowledge and expertise.
“Clinically this is absolutely the right way forward for our patients.”
Dr Edwin Borman, Medical Director at The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust, added:
“Developing this service at both the Princess Royal Hospital in Telford and the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital is a key objective for the Trust Board.
“Many people who attend the Emergency Department could have their needs met by a GP. Bringing together walk-in centres and A&E departments will offer a new ‘one-stop’ service for people with urgent injuries and illnesses.
“We are working with Shropshire Clinical Commissioning Group, who are the commissioners of the Shropshire walk-in service, to develop more detailed proposals for the RSH site. These will be considered by the Board later this year.”
The proposals were discussed at a meeting of the Trust Board last week. At the meeting the main areas of discussion were:
• The need for continued public and patient engagement on the proposals, including balancing the needs of communities living close to the current Shropshire Walk-In Centre with the needs of the wider communities of Shropshire that it serves.
• The Trust’s ambitions to develop a similar service at the Princess Royal Hospital for the communities of east Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin.
The Board also discussed how the transfer of the walk-on service could create a “prototype” urgent care centre facility whilst a longer term model for the county’s health services is being developed by clinicians and patients through the NHS Future Fit programme.
The next steps will include the development the business case for the Trust Board prior to local commissioners making their final decision this autumn.
The Shropshire Walk-In Centre in Monkmoor provides an NHS walk-in service for people across Shrewsbury and the county of Shropshire. The proposal to move the Shropshire Walk-In Centre from Monkmoor to the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital has been put forward by Shropshire Clinical Commissioning Group, who have grasped the opportunity of the contract for the current service coming to an end this year. The GP practice service at Monkmoor would remain at its current location.
Public meetings to discuss the proposal have taken place in Monkmoor and Wem. Further meetings are scheduled to take place in Church Stretton on Wednesday 6 August at the Mayfair Centre from 5.30pm to 7.30pm and at the Lord Hill Hotel in Shrewsbury on Tuesday 2 September from 6.30pm to 8.30pm.
