New Urgent Care Centre at Chelsea and Westminster
Walk in service for patients with minor illnesses and injuries
A new Urgent Care Centre has opened in the A&E Department at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital.
The Urgent Care Centre, or UCC, has been developed by the hospital in partnership with our local GPs to provide faster assessment in A&E and ensure that patients receive the right care in the right place.
It is a new ‘walk-in’ service for patients who come to the A&E Department with minor illnesses and injuries that require urgent attention but that are not critical or life-threatening.
Meanwhile the A&E Department will continue to treat acutely unwell patients.
The Urgent Care Centre will initially care for adult patients only, while children who are brought to the hospital for treatment will continue to be seen in the existing Paediatric A&E Department.
Patients treated in the UCC will benefit from a faster assessment process and the addition of GP-led care to ensure that they receive the right care in the right place.
This assessment process is known as 'streaming' and it means that patients will be booked in at reception and then allocated to the appropriate care pathway—either in A&E or in the new Urgent Care Centre – depending on the severity of their injury or illness.
Chelsea and Westminster says this should mean that staff in the A&E Department can concentrate on providing care and treatment for those patients who really need their help.
November 3, 2010
November 4, 2010
