By Jamie Waller, Local Democracy Reporter
People in Newark face a ‘hellish’ 20-mile drive for medical treatment at night as the town has become a “healthcare desert”, councillors say.
Newark Hospital’s Urgent Treatment Centre first stopped opening overnight in 2020, and the night closure has now been made permanent, meaning patients must travel to King’s Mill Hospital in Mansfield.
Local councillors say this is difficult and expensive for the town’s most vulnerable residents, and have called for the centre to be reopened 24 hours a day.
Its overnight hours were first cut in April 2020 due to pressures during the Covid-19 pandemic.
In March this year, an NHS panel ruled it should now stay permanently closed overnight due to low patient numbers and staffing problems. Opening hours are now 8am to 10.30pm.
Run by Sherwood Forest Hospitals Trust at Newark Hospital, the centre treats injuries including cuts, simple bone breaks, wounds, minor burns and minor head, eye and back injuries.
The overnight closure came 14 years after the controversial closure of Newark Hospital’s 24-hour Accident & Emergency department.
During a debate at Newark & Sherwood District Council on Tuesday (July 17), councillors unanimously urged the Integrated Care Board, which organises Nottinghamshire’s healthcare, to reconsider.
The motion was proposed by Councillor Susan Crosby (Ind), the Portfolio Holder for Health, Wellbeing & Leisure.
“An elderly lady came up to me yesterday and said ‘I’m frightened to be ill, I think I’m going to die because there’s no urgent healthcare in the town,’” she told the meeting.
Cllr Johno Lee (Con) said: “My major concern is for my residents who have to make the 45 minute hellish drive to Mansfield late at night because we don’t have a local service.
“It’s disgraceful in this day and age. That road is awful.”
Several councillors shared experiences of relying on Newark’s overnight services during emergencies.
Councillor Rowan Cozens (Ind) said: “I had to take my 18-month-old when he had a bad attack of croup.
“If it wasn’t for the Newark A&E, I’m not sure how I would have managed. I would have had to drive 20 miles while he was blue and couldn’t breathe.”
Councillor Peter Harris (Lib Dem) said he was part of the Sherwood Hospital Trust board which originally decided to close the A&E.
“It was a difficult decision, and we only did that on the basis that there would be a UTC open 24-hours a day,” he said.
“The people of Newark deserve to have a good 24/7 service.”
Councillor Paul Taylor (Lab) said the town had become a “healthcare desert” at night.
“It’s a three or four hour wait to get an ambulance, and many don’t own a car and can’t afford the £140 return taxi ride to Mansfield,” he said.
Councillor Simon Hayes (Con) recalled seeing a large queue waiting for the centre to open in a morning recently, saying: “It’s not acceptable”.
NHS Nottingham and Nottinghamshire says urgent medical advice is still available on 111, and they will review the current opening hours next year.
Chief Executive Amanda Sullivan said: “As part of the decision-making process, we engaged with residents and stakeholders to ensure that the preferred option for the Urgent Treatment Centre (UTC) opening hours aligned with the community’s needs.
“The feedback from residents of Newark clearly indicated the high value they place on the service received at the UTC and whilst there was clearly a strong preference for a return to 24 hours opening, this was balanced against other factors including current service usage and operational and staffing levels, within a rounded evidence-based decision.
“The decision follows a review by the East Midlands Clinical Senate and their subsequent recommendation to make permanent the overnight closure of the UTC.
“People who need urgent care overnight can ring 111 and can receive clinical advice without having to travel. They will be directed to the most appropriate service depending on their needs.
“We have committed, via Nottinghamshire County Council’s Health Scrutiny Committee, to both promote the new opening hours and the other ways that Newark residents can access urgent care and also to review the operation of the new hours over the next twelve months.
“Elected members and other stakeholders will continue to be kept informed during this coming period.”
