By Anna Whittaker, Local Democracy Reporter
The NHS has been urged to bring back 24-hour care at Newark’s Urgent Treatment Centre to avoid creating a widening gap in the town’s healthcare services.
The call has been made by the town’s independent group of councillors, who have spoken out against the centre’s ongoing reduced hours.
The centre at Newark Hospital was first temporarily closed for overnight admissions in April 2020 due to pressures during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The overnight closure was then extended in 2021, 2022, and again in June 2023.
The Integrated Care Board (ICB) which organises local healthcare services, says it is not possible to safely staff the centre overnight.
The ICB says when the centre was open overnight, it would treat one patient per hour on average, in contrast to between four and six patients per hour during the daytime.
But the Independents for Newark group, which holds the majority on Newark Town Council and has eight elected Newark and Sherwood District councillors, said there is now a “gap” in the town’s healthcare services.
The group has set up a petition aiming to reach 100 signatures.
The urgent treatment centre is currently open from 9am to 10pm, 7 days per week. It treats patients with injuries including cuts, simple broken bones, wounds, minor burns and minor head, eye and back injuries.
The nearest A&E departments to Newark are at King’s Mill Hospital, Nottingham’s Queen’s Medical Centre, and Lincoln County Hospital – all between 21 and 23 miles away.
Residents in Nottinghamshire are now being asked for their views as part of a ‘listening exercise’ on the opening hours.
Cllr Susan Crosby, portfolio holder for Health, Wellbeing and Leisure, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “There’s a gap in services in Newark.
“You can’t get a doctor’s appointment, a lot of people can’t get to Kings Mill and ambulance waiting times are unbelievable.
“This gap needs filling and we think the right way is to reinstate cover overnight.
“As someone who lived has lived in Newark for a long time, it worries me.”
When asked about unsafe staffing levels, Cllr Crosby said: “Staffing isn’t our problem. This is a service which should be reinstated.
“The NHS say only one or two people went to the centre in an hour.
“But the population has changed since then. Communities are getting bigger as more homes are being built.”
It comes as Newark hospital is benefiting from a £5.6m plan for a new operating theatre and two minor operation rooms. Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Trust, which runs the site alongside King’s Mill and Mansfield Community Hospital, secured the cash for the project from NHS England in 2022.
Cllr Crosby added: “It’s marvellous that they’re adding extra services in Newark but there’s still a gap for vulnerable people.
“This petition provides our residents with an accessible and cost-free platform to voice their concerns and be heard.”
Prior to the pandemic, before the temporary hours were put in place, the urgent treatment centre was often closed overnight at short notice due to lack of staff availability.
Cllr Peter Harris, Leader of the Liberal Democrat Group, added that his group is “really concerned” about the possibility of the Urgent Treatment Centre not being reopened overnight.
He said: “This was a facility that I campaigned for – and then kept open when I was the Vice Chair of the Sherwood Forest Hospital Trust Board.
“The unit is safe and a good and safe facility for local people to use – rather than a long distance journey for Urgent Treatment to Mansfield, Nottingham or Lincoln.”
A spokesperson for NHS Nottingham and Nottinghamshire Integrated Care Board, said: “Newark Hospital’s Urgent Treatment Centre (UTC) has been open for 13 hours a day (9am to 10pm) for the last three years. This exceeds the national guidance for UTCs, which suggests that they should be open for at least 12 hours per day.
“UTCs are for patients with non-life-threatening conditions which are also handled via phone or online consultation by NHS 111, local community pharmacists and out-of-hours or ‘same day’ GP appointments. This is different to emergency care, which is for life-threatening illnesses such as heart attacks, strokes or major accidents needing immediate treatment from the ambulance service (via 999) and A&E.
“The current opening hours were put in place following the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic in response to concerns for patient safety due to ongoing staffing issues at the UTC, made worse by Covid-19.
“We are currently carrying out a comprehensive public engagement exercise to hear people’s views about the UTC opening hours and use of local out-of-hours urgent care services.
“We would really welcome the views of local people on the current opening hours, how they could potentially be configured differently and their experience of using other out-of-hours NHS services.”
An online survey to gather feedback is available at https://forms.office.com/e/QRrXfZT62g
