Urgent treatment centre to reduce Yeovil Hospital wait times
The facility opened earlier this week
Yeovil Hospital now has a dedicated space for patients who require urgent care but do not have life-threatening conditions.
Patients are triaged by a nurse at the Emergency Department’s (ED) front door, either straight into ED if it’s an emergency, or next door to the newly developed urgent treatment centre (UTC), which can treat urgent conditions.
Dr Joby Kotoor, Somerset NHS Foundation Trust’s lead emergency department consultant at Yeovil Hospital, said: “Anyone who has been to our emergency department at Yeovil Hospital will have seen how busy it often gets, especially in the winter, and this will go a long way to ensure patients get the right care with minimal delays.
“The urgent treatment centre is located next door to the emergency department, and operates similar to Somerset’s other six urgent treatment centres and one minor injuries unit.
“There’s no change to the way patients need to present to our emergency department, as they should arrive at the same front door as before. They may be triaged across to the urgent treatment centre where appropriate, where they’ll be seen by a practitioner with the right skills to treat their needs.
Examples of an emergency condition include chest pain, heavy bleeding, stroke symptoms (sudden onset of weakness or speech difficulties), abdominal pain, breathing difficulties, and burns.
And urgent conditions – treated at the UTC – include sprains and strains, broken bones, cuts and wounds, bites, minor head injuries, chest infections, throat infections, eye infections, urinary infections, and emergency contraception.
Katy Sizer, Somerset NHS Foundation Trust’s emergency department and same day emergency care service manager, added: “By opening this urgent treatment centre at Yeovil Hospital, our aim is that patients with non-life threatening conditions will be seen quicker, reducing waiting times when our teams must also prioritise emergency patients.”
“It’ll also means that specialised colleagues in our emergency department are freed up to treat those needing emergency or life-threatening conditions.
“While this doesn’t mean we’re getting additional healthcare colleagues, by structuring the department in a different way with extra space, we’ll be better able to meet the demand.”
However, Yeovil Hospital encourages patients to keep seeing primary care first where appropriate.
“Unless it’s an emergency or life-threatening condition, we advise people to call NHS 111 first, and they may be signposted to one of Somerset’s urgent treatment centres or minor injuries unit, and this now includes the unit at Yeovil Hospital. It may also be that they are signposted to a pharmacy or their GP practice, depending on their health need”, explained Dr Kotoor.
“Please also continue to contact your registered GP practice as normal, and don’t forget to check your local pharmacy first for the seven most common conditions too, as you may be able to get help there without needing to wait at our hospitals – they can also prescribe medicine too.”