Wolverhampton Urgent Care Centre

There have been a number of reports on how Urgent Care Services should be delivered including the NHS England publication “High Quality Care for all now and future generations” and the Royal College of Physicians Publication “Urgent emergency care – a prescription for the future. The best practices highlighted in the reports and subsequently reaffirmed by the Keogh review “Transforming Urgent Care Services in England (November 2013) was that community based urgent care services should be coordinated in Urgent Care Centres.

Redesign of Urgent Care services is a key component of both Wolverhampton CCG’s Urgent and Emergency Care Strategy and Primary Care Strategy.

Service currently consists of:

• One Acute trust A&E department – The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust (New Cross Hospital)
• One GP led Walk in Centre – Showell Park
• One Nurse led Walk in Centre – Phoenix Centre
• One Out of Hours provider – Phoenix Centre
• West Midlands Ambulance Service • NHS111
• Pharmacy
• Urgent GP Appointments in Primary Care

There has been increased demand on services resulting in increased pressure on targets. The CCG underwent a consultation with the public to obtain their views etc.. the outcomes of which were that they felt the existing system was too complex to navigate and that they wanted to see their own GP. This has led to the need to reconfigure the Urgent Care Service within the Wolverhampton region with the aim of creating a more streamlined approach with ‘signposting’ and is the driver for this procurement exercise.

The service will cover the population of the City of Wolverhampton / South Staffordshire & Seisdon

• Re-designed Urgent Care System in line with National best practice guidance
• Ensure best practice service provision;
• Ensure service equality across all service user types and backgrounds;
• Maintain agreed capacity at all times;
• Ensure waiting times for access to the service are maintained;
• Quality – patient-centred services delivered in a safe and effective manner and delivered through a learning environment that includes the training of healthcare professionals;
• Value for Money and affordable;

Estimated activity as follows:

• Face to Face 70,000
• Home Visits 5,500
• Telephone 10,500

Please see draft service specification for full details of service.

Contract period will be 60 months with an option to extend for a further 2 x 12 months