Key Birmingham health services could change across the city
Summerfield Primary Care Centre, where the Summerfield UTC is currently based(Image: Google Maps)
A number of urgent treatment centres across Birmingham could potentially close under a major health shake-up being proposed by the NHS.
NHS Birmingham and Solihull has been carrying out a review of the city’s Urgent Treatment Centre (UTC) and GP out-of-hours services, saying they ‘do not all operate consistently or fully meet national UTC guidance’.
Birmingham has five UTCs, which provide care for urgent but non-life-threatening illness and injury.
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They are currently spread across the city in Sutton Coldfield, Erdington, Washwood Heath, Selly Oak and Summerfield.
But the NHS says it has been exploring how services could be made to be ‘more responsive to local population needs’.
They also want them to be more consistent, better aligned to national guidance and ‘better able to support care closer to home and reduce avoidable A&E pressure’.
Two options for the future of these health services in Birmingham were recently proposed as part of a public consultation – both of which would mean closures for particular UTCs and new hospital-based ones.
Option A is as follows:
Option A proposed by NHS Birmingham and Solihull
Erdington and South Birmingham (Selly Oak) UTCs would stay where they are and be upgraded to meet national UTC standards.Summerfield and Washwood Heath UTCs would close and be replaced by specialist urgent care services at local health hubs in the same locations as the existing UTCs.GP out-of-hours would operate as one service across Birmingham and Solihull. It would offer mainly virtual consultations, as well as face-to-face appointments and home visits when needed.
The NHS says these ‘specialist urgent care services’, which would replace the UTCs, would focus on “specific local needs such as frailty, respiratory care, heart care or wound care”.
It adds that access would usually be by referral from a healthcare professional, not walk-in.
Option B meanwhile looks like this:
Option B proposed by NHS Birmingham and Solihull
Summerfield, Washwood Heath and Erdington UTCs would close and be replaced by Community Urgent Care Centres in the same locations as the existing UTCs.South Birmingham (Selly Oak) UTC would close and be replaced by two Community Urgent Care Centres at Moseley Hall and West Heath.These centres would treat minor illnesses and injuries unlikely to need X-rays or stitches.They would would offer walk-in care and NHS 111 booked appointments for non-life-threatening conditions and would be in local health hubs that offer a range of services.GP out-of-hours would be linked to local health hubs and Community Urgent Care Centres, offering mainly virtual consultations, as well as face-to-face appointments and home visits when needed.
A number of proposals were identical across the two options however, including moving North Birmingham UTC permanently to Good Hope Hospital and upgrading it to meet national standards.
New hospital UTCs would also open at Heartlands, Queen Elizabeth and Midland Metropolitan University Hospital.
UTCs that would meet national standards, including the hospital ones, would be open seven days a week for at least 12 hours a day; see walk-ins and NHS 111 booked appointments; and treat minor illness and minor injury.
More than 1,600 people took part in the recent consultation through a survey, events and focus groups.
When asked which option came closest to meeting local needs, 37.5 per cent selected option A and 37.2 per cent selected option B.
“This means the feedback should not be read as a straightforward endorsement of either option in full,” the NHS says.
“A strong theme was support for a combined approach: retaining trusted local UTC provision where possible, while developing more local and community-based GP out-of-hours services.”
But a number of concerns were raised by those who took part, including longer travel times, loss of familiar local services and a possible over-reliance on NHS 111.
Good Hope Hospital(Image: Harry Leach / BirminghamLive)
The NHS has said these worries will be taken into consideration ahead of the Integrated Care Board making a final decision.
“The review was not about making cost savings or reducing services for financial reasons,” it added.
“The NHS is already investing in new or improved hospital-based UTCs.
“The consultation focused on two options for how community urgent care and GP out-of-hours services could work alongside hospital UTC investment, so patients have a clearer, more consistent and more sustainable urgent care offer.”
This consultation is set to be discussed by Birmingham Council’s Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee Meeting next Friday, June 26.