Nottinghamshire County Council’s health scrutiny committee urges people to have their say on Newark Hospital’s Urgent Care Centre’s future a Sherwood Forest Hospital’s seeks opinion
County health scrutinisers are urging the public to make their voices heard when it comes to the future opening hours of Newark Hospital’s Urgent Treatment Centre.
Nottinghamshire County Council’s health scrutiny committee met today and chief on the agenda was that members consider and comment on proposals in respect of the opening hours of the Newark Urgent Treatment Centre and the provision of out-of-hours urgent care services.
It also recommended that it works with local residents and stakeholders to publicise and ensure full participation in the engagement process running between now and October 17 2023.
And, that it considers the outcomes of the engagement process and next steps for the Newark Urgent Treatment Centre, operated by Sherwood Forest Hospitals Trust (SFH) at a future committee meeting.
Speaking afterwards, Sue Saddington, committee chairman, and a Newark area councillor, said: “The hospital’s current UTC opening hours have been in place as a temporary measure for more than three years.
“It is now acknowledged by SFH that it must provide a certainty for the way forward for Newark Hospital, hence these new proposals.
“Therefore, the launch of this wide-ranging engagement exercise gives those who use Newark Hospital an opportunity to help shape how the UTC operates and how its future opening hours are configured to meet the needs of local people.
“I am acutely aware that Newark residents would like the UTC to open overnight but I am assured by SFH that this is not viable as the occupancy overnight previously was very low.
“I am also told that Newark Hospital simply does not have the resource to provide a service at night if it is to continue to offer a safe and effective 13-hour a day, seven days a week service.
“This means it really is vital that residents have their say during the consultation process to help shape the services which should be delivered in a safe and effective manner.
“I hope to attend as many engagement events as possible and, as I’ve said previously, I look forward to hearing your views.”
Sherwood Forest Hospitals is at the beginning a listening exercise to gather opinions.
The treatment centre is currently open for 13 hours a day, from 9am to 10pm, above the NHS’s national requirement of 12 hours.
The health leaders are asking for feedback on these opening times — such as if being open earlier in the morning before regular working hours would be helpful — and will offer a variety of face-to-face and online opportunities for residents to share their views.
The UTC has been consistently closed overnight since March 2020, when the impact of the covid-19 pandemic on staffing meant that it was not possible to continue to provide a reliable, safe urgent care service at the hospital 24 hours a day.
Sherwood Forest Hospitals has applied yearly for an extension to the overnight closure and is now seeking a permanent fix. Re-opening at night time has not been ruled, but is looking increasingly unlikely.
Mrs Saddington said: “The Urgent Treatment Centre (UTC) at Newark Hospital is, and will continue to be, a key part of the urgent care network available to local people.
“The hospital is a wonderful community asset and, as a local county councillor representing part of Newark, it is one which has always been close to my heart.
“Residents, who use the hospital, also always speak highly of it.
“Myself, and my vice-chairman Bethan Eddy, recently visited the hospital’s new operating theatre.
“We saw the upgrades to two existing side rooms on a ward, which will allow for minor operations rather than using bigger theatres for smaller procedures.
“This will increase capacity by an expected 2,600 procedures per year and this has been enabled by a £5.6m investment by Sherwood Forest Hospitals.
“We were thoroughly impressed with the services offered and the efficiency in which they were delivered.
“The staff, who work tirelessly to help and care for others, were kind and a credit, not only to themselves, but to the hospital. They can be rightly proud of what they are doing for local people.
“Today, my colleagues and I on the hyealth scrutiny committee, met to discuss the proposals which have been put forward and, during the meeting, I spoke about our positive experiences of visiting the hospital and how Newark residents can play a vital role in shaping its future.
“As chairman of the health scrutiny committee, I have asked for new services to be implemented at Newark Hospital – and that’s what SFH has done.
“Procedures and services will be expanded, and many more people will be able to access diagnostics, operations, treatments, and planned care – whilst there have also been significant and welcome improvements to the site and facilities to enhance both staff and patient care.
“I am delighted that SFH is committed to improving standards of healthcare at Newark ever further, helping to deliver a wide range of health and wellbeing benefits for the local community.”
