Grantham hospital A&E unit may be replaced with 'urgent care centre'
The accident & emergency unit at Grantham and District Hospital may be replaced with an urgent care centre, in fresh proposals outlined by health bosses.
The Lincolnshire Sustainability Transformation Plan (STP) has been released by Lincolnshire Health and Care (LHAC) today after it was leaked on Monday.
The document, which will be put forward for public consultation, states that the A&E unit which is currently temporarily closed between 6.30pm and 9am may be replaced with an urgent care centre, while Boston Pilgrim and Lincoln County hospitals will retain their A&E units.
Breast cancer care will also be centralised at Grantham, with the hospital becoming the the home of The Lincolnshire Breast Centre.
Officials say they want to provide a network of urgent care centres which will not only 'be able to see and treat the majority of urgent care patients' but also 'reduce the pressure on A&E and should lead to fewer people being admitted to hospital.'
The STP for Lincolnshire, a five-year plan of where healthcare is headed is based on four proposals:
More investment in primary care and community services and more focus on prevention to keep people out of hospital
A joined up health and social care service at a neighbourhood level where teams work together to support people, carers and families and care is coordinated
Improving the effectiveness of services – reducing things like cancelled operations, delays in discharging people from hospital, waiting times for appointments and referrals
Possible options to centralise some services where it will deliver better outcomes for patients.
Health bosses are keen to point out that no final decisions have been made and any changes to hospital services will be subject to a full public consultation.
Campaigners fighting for a full-fledged A&E unit at Grantham hospital following its closure between 6.30pm and 9am fear downgrading it an 'urgent care centre' would put lives further at risk.