NHS leaders plead the public to share their views regarding the future of opening hours of Newark Hospital’s urgent care centre

NHS leaders have said they will listen carefully to all public concerns as part of an ongoing consultation into the future of urgent care in Newark.

Residents are being asked for their views about the future of the urgent treatment centre at Newark Hospital amid potential opening hour changes.

When open, the urgent treatment centre treats patients with injuries including cuts, broken bones, wounds, minor burns and minor head, eye and back injuries.

It was first temporarily closed for overnight admissions in April 2020 due to staffing pressures during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The closure was then extended in 2021, 2022, and again in June 2023.

Councillors previously said they were “really disappointed” at extensions to overnight closures and asked for it to be reassessed.

The move was brought in because NHS leaders say they were unable to safely staff the centre overnight.

A health scrutiny meeting on Tuesday, September 12, also heard only about one person used the centre per hour each night, compared with about four and six people per hour during the daytime.

About 100,000 people overall use the centre for appointments each year.

The centre now opens between 9am and 10pm each day, though final entry to the site is from 9.30pm each evening.

NHS bosses launched a consultation on September 4 asking people in the county to give their views on these opening hours.

The public is being asked whether these hours should stay the same or be spread differently throughout the day.

This could include providing earlier or later coverage to meet the needs of the population.

However, NHS leaders say it is unlikely the centre will reopen again for full overnight coverage amid likely difficulties with staffing.

But speaking to health bosses on the consultation, councillors and healthwatch representatives urged for the public’s views to be fully considered.

Concerns were also raised about existing surveys offering “loaded” questions and not offering responses tailored towards the views residents are sharing.

Sarah Collis, chair of Healthwatch Nottinghamshire, told the meeting: “From a healthwatch perspective, we want to make sure people are really listened to and given the opportunity to make their feelings clear.

“We really are pleased the Integrated Care Board is looking to listen.

“It’s just about making sure the questions you’re asking – and the information you want to receive from people – is not mapped out for them.”

Some councillors also raised concerns about the overnight closure’s impact on people adequately receiving urgent care.

This includes travelling long distances for access to emergency care at either King’s Mill Hospital or Queen’s Medical Centre.

Access to GPs in the absence of urgent or emergency care and the availability of the NHS 111 phoneline were also raised.

Lucy Dadge, the ICB’s director of integration, said in the meeting: “These are the sort of things we want to hear.

“We want to hear from everyone and we have no prejudice in our minds about that 12-hour plus period. We will hear what the population wants.”

An ICB spokesman added: “The survey is one of the ways we’re gathering feedback. There will be plenty of opportunities through public meetings and events.

“Individuals and groups will be able to tell us – completely in free form – what they want.”

The online survey launched on September 4 at https://forms.office.com/e/QRrXfZT62g.

The consultation is open until mid-October and its results will be fed back to a health scrutiny committee meeting at a later date.

Public engagement events open to all Newark area residents:

• September 19, 2.30pm–3.30pm at Holy Trinity Community Centre
• September 26, 10am–1pm at Farndon Village Hall
• October 4, 6.30pm–7.30pm is online via MS Teams
• October 12, 11am–12noon at North Muskham Community Centre
• October 14, 10am-11am is online via MS Teams