Temporary change to the opening hours at Crawley Urgent Treatment Centre (UTC).

Whilst arrangements have been in place to utilise temporary staffing, this is not providing adequate cover and is not sustainable. Putting in place this pilot arrangement will allow the Trust to reallocate overnight staff into the daytime when the unit sees the most patients. It will mean that the Crawley Urgent Treatment Centre have more staff available when patients need the service most as they consider how they can meet the needs of the local community for the longer term.

Data shows that the majority of patients attend Crawley UTC between 7.30am and 10pm with an average of two patients per hour using the service overnight. In the month of February, the service supported 5,649 patients, and Crawley UTC recognise it has an important role to ensure that people can get urgent NHS help and treatment.

Urgent Treatment Centres are an important pathway within urgent and emergency care and this temporary change is required so we can make sure the unit can continue to operate safely and provide a high level of care to the people of Crawley.

The team will be continuously monitoring the number of patients attending the unit, as well as their reason for attending across the next six months so that Crawley Urgent Treatment Centre can ensure they are there when patients need us. Crawley UTC will also monitor wider impacts within the health and care system and work alongside our partners to ensure this move enhances safe urgent care for the local community.

The Crawley Urgent Treatment Centre will continue to provide its full range of urgent care services for injuries and illnesses that are not life threatening between 7.30am and 10pm during this period. This includes sprains and strains, broken bones, minor burns and scalds, minor head and eye injuries, bites and stings. We encourage people to continue to use the UTC during its opening hours so that they can receive urgent NHS help and support closer to home.