1. Urgent Care Consultation Update
22 March 2018

2. Reminder of proposals Change the way people get urgent GP appointments
Change where people would go for minor illness and injuries
Change where people go for urgent eye care
Improve the way people access services
Change the way people get urgent GP appointments
Groups of GP practices will work together to offer urgent appointments within 24 hours – already have 16 neighbourhoods
People will be assessed to decide if they need to see their own GP or can be seen by at a different GP practice in their local area.
Change where people would go for minor illness and injuries
Currently, there is a walk-in centre in the city centre which treats adults and children for minor illnesses and a minor injuries unit at the Royal Hallamshire Hospital that deals with adult minor injuries.
Children with minor injuries are seen at the emergency department at Sheffield Children’s Hospital.
Under our preferred option, the walk-in centre and minor injuries unit would be replaced with an urgent treatment centre for adults at the Northern General Hospital for both minor illness and injuries and an urgent treatment centre at Sheffield Children’s Hospital which would treat minor illness. Children with minor injuries would continue to be treated at Sheffield Hospital’s emergency department.
Both urgent treatment centres would offer booked appointments and walk-in appointments.
Change where people go for urgent eye care
Currently adults needing either urgent or emergency eye care are seen at the Emergency Eye Clinic at the Royal Hallamshire Hospital.
In the future, urgent appointments would be offered at locations across the city with extended opening times making it easier for people to get care closer to where they live.
Emergency eye care (sight-threatening conditions) would continue to be provided at the Hallamshire.
Improve the way people access services
People would be supported by an improved system where you can contact your practice or 111 and be assessed over the phone.
You will then be booked an appointment or signposted to the right place for the care you need.

3. Where are we now? Consultation ended 31 January 2018
396 survey responses (2106 telephone, 2290 self-selecting), plus letters, feedback from 30 public meetings and social media, and five petitions.
All been independently analysed and reports produced for CCG to review
Ended 31 Jan – extended from 18 Dec to allow more time for feedback and to target under-represented groups and geographical areas

4. Timescales and process
Key milestone/action
March – April 2018
Review feedback – what is it telling us?
PCCC 22nd March -
receive reports and assure key themes identified
April – June 2018
Plans for responding to feedback
PCCC 17th May – receive proposed next steps to address issues raised
June – Sept 2018
Work up final model
PCCC 20th Sept
Recommendations for final model
This is an indicative timescale – set at start of process and may therefore need to change if more time is required to work through issues raised and develop final recommendation
Reports gone to the CCG’s Primary Care Commissioning Committee today (22 March) – discussed feedback and confirmed the key themes and issues to be considered

5. Consultation feedback – key themes
Number of common themes identified
Significant differences in responses from consultation and telephone surveys
50% of respondents to the consultation survey came from three postcode areas
11 alternative suggestions put forward
There were significant differences in the responses to the consultation survey and those from the telephone survey, with a more positive response overall from telephone survey participants.
50% of respondents to the consultation survey came from three postcode areas: S8, S10 and S11. The all Sheffield telephone survey was a stratified representation of the Sheffield population.
Alternative suggestions – all will be considered as part of the review process

6. Consultation Feedback – concerns
NGH – capacity, transport, journey times, parking
‘Do-ability’ of delivering the General Practice/neighbourhood aspects
Loss of services in the city centre
Potential exacerbation of health inequalities
Locating services at the Northern General Hospital (NGH), particularly with regard to transport, journey times, parking and access for people in the south of the city
GPs’ capacity to cope with more urgent patients and if this can definitely be achieved
Loss of services in the city centre – strength of feeling that need urgent care services in the city centre (people were particularly in favour of maintaining the Minor Injuries Unit or creating an urgent treatment centre at the current Minor Injuries Unit location)
Concern that could potentially exacerbate health inequalities if the adult urgent treatment centre is sited at NGH UTC – particularly for the homeless and those who would find it difficult to travel to NGH.

7. Consultation Feedback – positives
People happy to have an apptment at another practice if seen quicker
Support for an UTC for children, based at Sheffield Children’s Hospital.
People prefer to be seen in a practice in their local area rather than travel to an UTC
Most people would be happy to have an appointment at another practice if it meant being seen quicker (although there was variation between different cohorts)
Support for an urgent treatment centre for children, based at Sheffield Children’s Hospital.
The majority of patients would prefer to be seen in a practice in their local area rather than travel to an urgent treatment centre

8. Consultation feedback - mixed views
Whether proposals would make accessing urgent care simpler or easier
Preferred option for location of urgent treatment centre(s)
Proposed changes to urgent eye care 
Mixed views about whether the proposals would make accessing urgent care simpler or easier
Mixed views on which would be the best option for an urgent treatment centre (divided between Option 1 or Option 3) but a significant number of people did not agree with any of the options or chose not to answer this question. There were mixed views on the proposed changes to urgent eye care. (It was noted that while this wasn’t a main focus of responses from the public, some strong concerns were expressed)

9. Questions