Urgent?

[rabbit]

A leaflet in the latest Heartbeat tells us that a new Urgent Care Centre is now open at the Hospital.

Urgent implies immediate attention, but the leaflet instructs that  for urgent medical problems you must ring 111 to make an appointment at the centre.

However if you have a minor injury, simply walk in.

Confused?

[kevplumb]

err me arm has fell off can i walk in cos i cant use my phone

[Truthache]

Service doesn't change until April 1st at 8a.m.

Full details of the service can be found here:

http://www.nth.nhs.uk/news/changes-urgent-care/

From April 1st the service will be available 24/7 for 365 days a year, which is better than the Urgent Care provision at One Life.

People should also perhaps note that the Urgent Care at HGH is not where A&E used to be years ago.  It has a new location to the left of the Main Entrance.

[kevplumb]

not worth jack then is the short answer 

[Land Phil]

After being told rubbish by staff at One Life and told to go to James Cook without a proper dressing for a relatives wound, the consultant at JC told us not to bother with One Life in future and go straight to A&E.

If in doubt, don't mess around with local cowboys..
Hard to believe that is going to change.

[Truthache]

It is very sad that people want to discredit the new service before it even opens.  Perhaps it is time to give the changes the benefit of the doubt when it does open.  I have no reason to doubt that staff at North Tees and Hartlepool want to see a successful implementation of the new 24/7 service.  A lot of work has gone into the planning of this service change.
It should perhaps be noted that the leaflet also covers the changes in Stockton with a similar walk-in service at North Tees Hospital.  The aim is to take pressure off A&E which is supposed to be for the most serious cases of illness and injury.
The leaflet is there to offer guidance and worth keeping for reference.  I believe it is better to be informed.  Too many rumours, conspiracy theories etc do no good.  Let's give it a chance and judge it on performance when it opens.
http://www.nth.nhs.uk/news/changes-urgent-care/

[jawsbbc]

think people need to be told were the urgent care will be situated or they will all be turning up to the rapid chest clinic (old a+e) the new place will be the building to the far left  were the discharge lounge  is right opposite the smoking shed

[jawsbbc]

on another note none drivers will not be able to get to the new urgent care as the number 1 that takes you  stops at 6 taxi it is then

[fred c]

We have to be thankful for the tremendous efforts of 'The Little Pipsqueak' and his coalition clowncillor pals for this Urgent Care Centre.

[Topcat]

We used to be able to park in the shoping centre car park for £1.40 for two hours now we will have to pay £3 minimum ,that sounds like a nice little earner to me.

[rabbit]

Is the Hartlepool "Urgent" care centre subject to review if it is under- used?

Will it be manned 24/7 by appropriate GPs or medical practitioners who can treat urgent medical problems?

If not, are 111 staff who are in doubt about a caller`s condition, instructed to direct them to North Tees?

[steveL]

In my view, people's cynicism is entirely justified.

When we were originally told that we were to lose our A&E and that an Urgent Care Centre was to be built in Park Road, many, many people asked why not have the Urgent Care Centre at the hospital - at least everyone was used to going there for attention. Those people were totally ignored and given a plethora of reasons why the Park Road centre was a far better idea.

Move on a few years and here we are, relocating the Park Road Centre back to the hospital and being told that this is the best thing to happen to Hartlepool for years.

We were also told for years that we would be getting a brand new hospital at Wynyard and this was largely used as the justification for closing our own hospital. We now know that only the public themselves accurately predicted how that one would end and it now looks like, even with one of the worst transport systems in the country, people will be expected more and more to somehow find their way to James Cook.

So here's a different viewpoint - that the so-called Health Professionals really haven't a clue what they are doing or what's best for health services in the area. In fact, you might be tempted to think that they are essentially making it up as they go along ready to change direction with each changing tide.

I know that its the traditional position that ordinary people are supposed to bow and doff their caps before the opinions of the experts, but after years of watching over-salaried, headless chickens running rampant in the hen house maybe, just maybe, we've had a belly full of experts.

[Inspector Knacker]

I bet North Tees will lose it's A&E in the play off with Darlington and the only A&E left will be James Cook. Cue them complaining at bring swamped by patients.
Meanwhile, getting there by car is bad enough, but anyone without a car and reliant on our utterly useless public transport might as well just give up the ghost now.
Doubtless this will be sold to joe public as the way forward and just so brilliant it's unbelievable, if you can get there, good luck.