The Partnership of East London Cooperatives (PELC) has won a new contract to provide the services for four Urgent Treatment Centres (UTC) across Barking, Havering and Redbridge. We will be working in partnership with PELC to provide the nursing services across the four UTCs in a true demonstration of integrated working across the boroughs. This partnership will be known as the BHR Integrated Healthcare Alliance

The contract includes the continuation of Queen’s Hospital Urgent Treatment Centre, and the conversion of King George Hospital’s Urgent Care Centre, the walk in centre at Harold Wood and Barking community Hospital into Urgent Treatment Centre, providing four UTCs across the Barking, Havering and Redbridge area. The aim is to have all four UTCs in operation by July 2020.

As well as taking responsibility for new and existing UTCs, we are planning significant transformations to help support the increasing demand on local NHS services. Working in partnership will enable staff to make positive changes improving the quality of care that will be delivered.

These include: extending pathways to social prescribing and community services, increasing the range of diagnostic testing so that patients get relevant treatment and a stronger focus on advice and follow up services. The BHR Integrated Healthcare Alliance is also aiming to increase the capacity of care pathways within the UTCs so that the Emergency Department can deal with genuine emergencies. 

Oliver Shanley, interim chief executive of NELFT, said: “This is a great opportunity for us to work in true partnership with our primary care colleagues in PELC to deliver high quality care and benefits to our patients across the boroughs.

“The NHS Long Term Plan clearly sets out a vision for integrated working within health systems/ localities and the contract and service provision for the Urgent Treatment Centres in Barking, Havering and Redbridge is a an excellent example of how we are starting to deliver on this vision for our local communities.

“As well as the opportunity for our nursing staff to work in a more integrated way with our primary care colleagues, there is the chance for us to support our colleagues in the acute trust to use our combined expertise to improve access and patient care.”

Brian Jones, Chief Executive of PELC, has commented: “We are over the moon to win the contract that allows us to continue managing the UTCs at Queen’s and King George Hospitals, as well as expand our services to two others.

“It’s clear that one of the biggest challenges the NHS faces is a growing population. We want to help educate those who use health services to ensure that they’re not only getting the relevant and most effective treatment, but that they also do not put further pressure on emergency departments, which are designed to deal with life-threatening situations.

“We are delighted to be in a position to provide these services in partnership with our colleagues at NELFT. Our launch will be rolled out in the coming weeks, and we will be working to ensure that our healthcare services run like clockwork.”

Over the term of its contract, we will be embarking on a journey to educate the public on the appropriate use of the healthcare system, as well as getting as many people, including those who are homeless, to sign up to GPs.  This will include encouraging patients to book appointments at the UTCs, via NHS 111, to minimise their waiting times.

Both PELC and NELFT will be working alongside the Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust (BHRUT) to establish joint pathways between UTCs and Emergency Departments, the London Ambulance Service to ensure the smooth running of its North East London 111 services booking into PELC’s UTCs, 999 paramedic crews who, where appropriate, bring patients directly to UTCs, and the Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCG) regarding performance monitoring.

 

Read more on this at the Romford Recorder website.