An innovative new way of delivering urgent care is set to be piloted in East Lancashire.
The new way of working would find the GP out of hours service sharing a location with Urgent Care Centres at East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust (ELHT).
NHS Blackburn with Darwen Care Trust Plus and NHS East Lancashire have agreed to pilot the ‘one stop shop’ scheme where patients with even the most complex needs could be assessed and given the most appropriate care as quickly as possible.
The proposed pilot is currently being designed but could see patients who attend urgent care centres across East Lancashire for a variety of urgent conditions being seen by GPs as opposed to hospital based emergency department doctors.
It is hoped this way of working would reduce unnecessary waiting times and simplify access for people.
As part of the pilot, both primary care trusts have agreed not to tender the current Out of Hours services and will extend the contract of the current providers, East Lancashire Medical Services (ELMS).
The pcts were embarking on a tender process after advice from internal auditors which said that a locally led procurement would be better than one which may have been led by the new National Commissioning Board.
Graham Burgess, Chief Executive of Blackburn with Darwen Care Trust Plus, said: “We are delighted to work with ELMS on establishing this new model. We believe that the revised service will improve patient experience and deliver value for money.
“We have listened to the concerns of patients, GPs and other stakeholders about the original decision to tender the Out of Hours service and think we have come up with an acceptable solution that addresses all the issues.”
Russ McLean Chair of the Patient Voice Group said: “This is wonderful news. The patients of East Lancashire can be assured that their opinions have been listened to and the swell of support for their local service, in place since 1994, was recognised. This is a positive move for the health economy and we are delighted with the outcome. I would personally like to thank the many patients who have contacted me with messages of support.”
Dr Chris Clayton, chair of the Blackburn with Darwen Clinical Commissioning Group, said: “I feel this is a very important step forward. The new model, which is being designed with the help of local doctors should well improve patient care. We have been lobbying for this strongly and I am very pleased with the outcome. It gives us much faith and positivity in the process of clinically led commissioning."
Dr David White, lead GP for Burnley Clinical Commissioning Group and the PCT Clinical Lead for urgent care said: “This is an innovative approach, by co-locating and integrating urgent care services it will increase the range of clinical skills available to respond to the range of urgent care problems with which patients attend out of hours and the urgent care centre. It will also simplify and speed up access to urgent care which is something we know both patients and professionals have requested."
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