Shake-up to out-of-hours NHS service (From The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald)

Shake-up to out-of-hours NHS service

Carfax Street Walk-in Centre Ref: 99937PATIENTS seeking out-of-hours medical care will have to head to Great Western Hospital (GWH) under new plans.

Swindon Primary Care Trust (PCT) has this week moved its out-of-hours doctor service from Shrivenham Road to the former Clover Ward at the hospital.

And proposals to reduce the opening hours of the town's NHS Walk-in Centre in Carfax Street will be rolled out next month.

The evening service at the town centre facility 6-10pm will be cut from mid-November and people will have to make their way to GWH where the new Clover Centre has been set up.

At present, the walk-in centre deals with 16 patients on an average week night and 12 at the weekend, offering a range of services from treatment for allergies, ear syringing and cervical smears to emergency contraception.

The move has sparked criticism from patient groups and health watchdogs, despite the PCT's insistence it will lead to better care.

Mary Wilson, of the Swindon Patient Public Involvement (PPI) forum says the changes to opening hours will have serious consequences for more vulnerable members of the community who will have trouble getting to the hospital.

"We are concerned about people being able to get there," she said.

"It is a walk-in centre for people who live round about and moving the evening service is not going to help people like drug addicts.

Coun Steve Wakefield, (Con, Toothill and Westlea), chairman of Swindon Council's health and external scrutiny sub-committee, echoed those concerns.

"We've asked if the PCT can run the reduced opening for a three-month period and then report back to the scrutiny committee.

"Obviously, we have concerns about people who may be homeless as they may not be able to get to the hospital, so we're looking at providing access to taxis and other transport."

Coun Michael Dickinson (Con, Central) also expressed surprise at the decision.

"I'm very disappointed we're losing this town centre provision," he said.

"It is very well used in its current location and I don't know why they would want to move it."

Swindon PCT began running its new out-of-hours service from its Clover Centre base in the GWH on Monday.

The centre has six consulting rooms, three times the number of the old Shrivenham Road site, so patients can be seen more quickly by GPs and specially-trained nurses.

A spokeswoman for Swindon PCT said: "Space and facilities for both staff and patients are more extensive and modern.

"And it is hoped that other urgent health and social care services will gradually be housed together in the Clover Centre to improve co-operation and joint working."

As well as taking on the Walk-in Centre's evening hours, the Clover Centre will open a nurse-run clinic from mid-November with GP back-up between 9am and 5pm to help A&E manage its workload, she said.