Important changes to urgent care services in Wirral Frequently asked questions Delivered in partnership with: NHS Wirral Clinical Commissioning Group Wirral University Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust Wirral Community NHS Foundation Trust
Q1. What are the changes to urgent care services? From Monday 4 th September 2017 the Walk in Centre service at Eastham Clinic will no longer be available. Eastham Clinic will remain open and will continue to provide key services such as the dressing s clinic and phlebotomy (blood testing). Q2. Why will there be no Walk in Centre services at Eastham Clinic? NHS England has signalled a national commitment to introduce front door streaming services in all Accident and Emergency Departments to help deal with increasing demand and the pressure this creates on clinical services. This demand is similar in Wirral and we have decided to take immediate steps to make improvements as quickly as possible to ensure that the resources we have available are best placed as we move towards the winter months. A new front door streaming service will be in place at the Emergency Department at Arrowe Park Hospital from 4 th September 2017. In future people attending the Emergency Department will be assessed at the front door and in some cases will be directed to the adjacent Walk in Centre, this will be for patients who have minor injuries or illnesses. This new service will help to ensure that people with serious or life threatening conditions are seen and treated more quickly in the Emergency Department which will improve the safety and quality of services and overall performance. In order to make this happen we have decided to increase the number of clinical staff working at the Arrowe Park Walk in Centre by reallocating staff from the current Walk in Centre located at the Eastham Clinic. NHS Wirral CCG recognises that this will have an impact on people who currently use the Walk in Centre at Eastham. The CCG has to however consider what resources it has available to ensure that we can meet the needs of people in Wirral. We have been experiencing increased demand for emergency services at Arrowe Park Hospital and increasing the staff at the Arrowe Park Walk in Centre will help manage the ongoing pressure on clinical services. The CCG is committed to ensuring that the Eastham Clinic remains an essential part of the local community. Q3. What is a Walk in centre? NHS Walk in Centres offer a range of treatments for minor illnesses and injuries which can be accessed without an appointment. They can be used for conditions such as infections and rashes, stomach aches and hay fever. Q4. How many patients use Eastham Walk in Centre? The current Walk in Centre at Eastham Clinic accounts for less than 20% of all Walk in Centre activity in Wirral. Many people who use the Walk in Centre at Eastham attend for wound dressings and this service will remain at the Eastham Clinic but will become a booked appointment service. To book an appointment please use Wirral Community NHS Foundation Trust centralised booking line which is 0151 514 2222. Q5. What are the benefits of introducing this change? Moving clinical staff from Eastham Walk in Centre to Arrowe Park Walk in Centre will help to relieve some of the current pressures felt in the Emergency Department. The change will ensure that local clinical resources are being deployed to provide safe and effective care. As mentioned in Q2 the new clinical streaming service will be available early September to help guide patients who go to the Arrowe Park
Emergency Department to the most appropriate health care service for their condition. The reallocation of clinical support from Eastham Clinic will help us implement this change. Q6. What services will Eastham Clinic continue to offer? Eastham Clinic will continue to provide a significant range of NHS services including: Dressings clinics (appointment only) Phlebotomy (blood tests) Community Nursing Adult Social Care Sexual Health Wirral Speech and Language Therapy 0-19 Health and Wellbeing Bladder and Bowel Service Children s Continence Service We are committed to ensuring that the Eastham Clinic remains a valued resource for local people. Q7. Will the opening hours at Eastham Clinic remain the same? All other services available at Eastham Clinic will continue run as per their current opening times. Q8. Where should I go if I need to access an urgent care service and/or advice? There are two other Walk in Centres in Wirral: Arrowe Park Walk-in Centre (9 miles from Eastham Clinic) Arrowe Park Hospital Arrowe Park Road Upton CH49 5PE Open every day from 8am-10pm (including bank holidays) Victoria Central Walk-in Centre (13 miles from Eastham Clinic) Mill Lane Wallasey CH44 5UF Open every day from 8am-10pm (including bank holidays, there are also x-ray facilities open from 9am-8:30pm) There are also three Minor Injury/Illness Clinics (MIC) in Wirral: Parkfield Medical Centre, MIC (4 miles from Eastham Clinic) Sefton Road New Ferry Wirral CH62 5HS Open Monday-Friday from 2pm-6pm
Moreton Health Clinic, MIC (11.5 miles from Eastham Clinic) 8/14 Chadwick Street Moreton CH46 7XA Open Monday & Tuesday from 10am-7pm Wednesday & Thursday from 10am-8pm & Friday from 10am-6pm Birkenhead Medical Building, MIC (13 miles from Eastham Clinic) 1 st Floor, 31 Laird Street Birkenhead CH41 8DB Open Monday - Thursday from 10am-8pm Friday from 10am-6:30pm & Weekends and Bank Holidays from 10am-5pm The above services are able to offer the following treatments. Please note the below list is not all-inclusive. Walk-in Centres treat Minor Injury Units /Clinics treat Insect and animal bites Insect and animal bites Minor burns and strains Sprains and strains Infections, rashes and sunburn Minor burns and scalds Blood pressure checks Broken bones Fractures and lacerations Wound infections Sore throats and earache Minor head injuries Stomach aches, indigestion, Minor eye injuries constipation, vomiting and diarrhoea Emergency contraception and advice Emergency contraception and advice Hay fever Cuts and grazes Would care and dressings Injuries to the back, shoulder and chest Minor cuts and bruises Stop smoking support Coughs, colds and flu like symptoms Women's health problems, e.g. thrush, menstrual advice Men's health problems Stitches (sutures)* X-ray* *These services are only available at Victoria Central Walk in Centre Q8. What other options are available if I need advice or support? If you need urgent medical advice you should call NHS 111 in the first instance. This service is available 24/7 and will be able to direct you to an appropriate service for your needs. You could also ring your GP practice to discuss your needs or to make an appointment. Your local GP practice may offer extended hours for both urgent and routine appointments. Please check with your GP practice for services offered. The GP Out of Hours service is available when the practice is closed. If you telephone your GP practice, you will automatically be directed to the Out of Hours provider.
For local patients who are not registered with a GP practice visit the NHS Choices website (www.nhs.uk) for details of local practices and how to register with a GP. If you need urgent medical advice some local pharmacies offer a minor ailment scheme which means they can give advice and supply medications. Your pharmacist is able to offer advice in a private consultation on a range of different minor illnesses. Find your local pharmacy here on the NHS Choices website www.nhs.uk Q9. Why was there no consultation for public and patients to provide their views? We have a responsibility to ensure that the health care services provided are safe and effective for the people of Wirral. We have taken an immediate decision to move clinical resource from Eastham Walk in Centre to Arrowe Park Walk in Centre as we have a duty to ensure that our available resources are appropriately allocated to where they are most needed. This shift in resources will help to ensure that our local Emergency Department is better able to meet the needs of the most poorly patients over the coming months. We are taking this immediate action now because we have concerns about patient safety as the winter approaches. The CCG is in the process of reviewing Urgent Care across Wirral as a whole and will present proposed models for consultation in November 2017. Therefore the action we are taking now is in lieu of this wider review and is a short term measure to deal with an immediate patient safety issue. All Wirral residents will have the opportunity to express their views on the way Urgent Care should be provided in the future when the CCG publishes its proposed models for consultation. Q10. How will this change be communicated to Wirral patients? The change will be communicated to patients in a number of ways: Information will be made available in GP practices within close vicinity of the Eastham Clinic Advertisement in local newspapers Posters with key messages will be made available in local GP practices, Walk in Centres and Minor Injury/Illness Clinics Information will be made available on local NHS organisations websites, this includes; NHS Wirral Clinical Commissioning Group (WCCG), Wirral Community NHS Foundation Trust (WCT) and Wirral University Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust (WUTH) Information will be posted regularly on social media (Twitter and Facebook) Q12. Who should I contact if I am concerned or worried about this change and would like to share my views? If you are concerned or worried about these upcoming changes and would like to share your views please contact NHS Wirral Clinical Commissioning Group, Corporate Affairs Team. They can be contacted in a number of ways: Telephone 0151 541 5380
Email wiccg.intouch@nhs.net In writing Corporate Affairs Team NHS Wirral Clinical Commissioning Group 5th Floor Old Market House Hamilton Street Birkenhead Wirral CH41 5AL