Dozens of people attend an Independents for Newark and District march for urgent care

Dozens of people turned out in the rain over the weekend to support a protest walk for the return of overnight urgent care in Newark.

Independents for Newark and District held a Walk for Urgent Care (WFUC) on Saturday (October 19), to raise awareness of their campaign to bring back a 24-hour urgent care service.

The walk started at 10am at the WFUC market stall in Newark Market Place and headed through town, finishing at Newark Hospital.

At the market place, there were short speeches by councillors Neil Ross and Susan Crosby and throughout the walk, it was said that there was a lot of encouragement from passers-by with the tooting of car horns along the route.

Over 50 surveys were completed by people who expressed their concerns, experiences, and wishes for a 24/7 urgent treatment centre.

Newark’s A&E department was closed in 2010, and its Urgent Care Centre was closed overnight from 10pm to 9am during the Covid-19 pandemic, and has remained closed ever since.

In March this year, NHS leaders extended the opening hours from 8am to 10.30pm following feedback from residents, stakeholders, and healthcare experts — but campaigners have continued to call for 24-hour care to be reinstated.

District councillor Susan Crosby launched a petition — which attracted more than 2,300 signatures — requesting extending the opening hours of Newark Hospital’s Urgent Treatment Centre from 9am to 9.30pm to be open 24 hours, seven days a week.

Susan said at the march on Saturday: “It’s about raising awareness and we want to have back what we had in the first place. We were promised that when they took the A&E away that we would have 24/7 urgent treatment centre.

“We have more houses being built so we need more provision and there’s an older population, and it could cost people £160 in a taxi to get to Kings Mill — with a cost of living crisis, people just can’t afford that.

“All we want is what we already have.”

She added: “I am so happy to see so many willing to join our walk in such dreadful weather.

“It’s plain that people here want action on the matter of Urgent Treatment Centre opening hours.

“We will continue to fight on.”