Crawley Urgent Treatment Centre Reduces Hours Due to Staffing Shortages

The Crawley Urgent Treatment Centre in West Sussex, England, will be reducing its operating hours from 24/7 to 7:30am to 10pm starting on May 20, 2023 due to staffing shortages. The Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust (SCFT), which operates the centre, made the decision to ensure safe staffing levels can be maintained.

The urgent treatment centre provides care for minor injuries and illnesses that are urgent but not life-threatening. It sees the majority of its patients during the daytime hours, with an average of only two patients per hour overnight. The trust said the temporary change will allow them to reallocate overnight staff to the busier daytime periods.

Local politicians have strongly condemned the reduction in hours. Peter Lamb, leader of Crawley Borough Council, blamed the "under-funding and mismanagement of the NHS under the Conservatives" for the staffing issues. Tahir Ashraf, the Labour parliamentary candidate for Crawley, said the change will worsen existing problems with access to healthcare in the area.

Why this matters: The reduction in hours at the Crawley Urgent Treatment Centre highlights the ongoing challenges faced by the NHS in maintaining adequate staffing levels and providing accessible healthcare services. It raises concerns about the potential impact on patients who may require urgent care outside of the new operating hours.

The latest NHS England data shows that in March 2023, 60.5% of patients with major issues were seen, transferred or discharged within four hours at A&E departments across Sussex. Additionally, 3,104 patients spent more than four hours waiting to be admitted to the hospital, and 1,141 waited 12 hours or more.

The SCFT acknowledged the importance of urgent care centres as a care option for patients and said it will continuously monitor the number of patients attending the unit. "This is a temporary change, and we are considering how we can best meet the needs of the local community in the longer term," a spokesperson for the trust stated. The trust said patients requiring urgent care outside of the new operating hours will be advised to seek treatment at other nearby facilities, such as the emergency department at East Surrey Hospital.

Key Takeaways

• Crawley Urgent Treatment Centre to reduce hours from 24/7 to 7:30am-10pm
• Staffing shortages cited as reason for temporary change by NHS trust
• Local politicians condemn the reduction, citing NHS underfunding
• Concerns raised about impact on patients needing urgent care outside new hours
• Trust says it will monitor patient numbers and consider longer-term solutions