A&E winter waits prompt call to use faster urgent treatment centres

An urgent treatment centre in the New Forest told ITV Meridian's Harry Acton they can treat patients with less serious conditions much faster.

People across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight are being urged to only attend A&E if they have a life or limb threatening emergency, as many struggle to meet the four-hour waiting time target.

Hospitals across the South are seeing hundreds of patients every day at their emergency departments as the NHS enters one of the busiest times of the year.

At Southampton General 59 per cent of patients are being seen in under four hours. At the Queen Alexandra in Portsmouth it's 63 per cent.

At Hampshire Hospitals, which runs Winchester and Basingstoke, they are managing to see 57 per cent of patients presenting at A&E in under four hours.

Whilst in Bournemouth, 70 per cent are being treated within the target timeframe.

But urgent treatment centres are helping to take the pressure off of acute NHS services this Christmas.

In Lymington, Aaron Parris attended the Urgent Treatment Centre after cutting his hand at work as he thought it would be quicker than going to Southampton General Hospital Emergency Room.

"I probably would have gone to Southampton and you're probably looking at 45 minutes to get up there, then find somewhere to park and then probably about three or four hours, if not longer, up there. So yeah this was by for the better choice. Pretty sure I've been in and out within about half an hour."

The centre based at the New Forest Hospital is one of several in Hampshire that can help people with minor injuries and illnesses and is helping to reduce pressures on nearby hospitals.

"We're just part of the bigger picture working as a larger team nationally to try and reduce the pressure on our A&Es because they are just inundated and if we can just play a little part in that and making their lives a bit easier," said Nurse Practitioner, Shelley Ripper.

"It's also just nicer for the patients that they're seen a bit more local to their home."

On average more than 100 people use the Lymington Urgent Treatment Centre every day, patients who would have likely gone to emergency departments in Southampton, Salisbury, Winchester or Bournemouth.

The NHS wants more people who aren't seriously ill to choose an urgent treatment centre instead of going to hospital.

"We've got specialist paramedics, nurse practitioners, GPs, health car support workers," said Clinical Manager, Simon Corrall.

"We can take the less serious case, things that don't require CT scans, chest x-rays, bloods, those kind of patients that need those kind of investigations, we can take some of the pressure off the emergency departments."

"We have a number of urgent treatment centres across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, they have a wide range of health professionals who will see you, diagnose your problem and treat it very quickly," said Dr Lara Alloway, Chief Medical Officer, NHS Hampshire and Isle of Wight.

"And it will leave A&Es or emergency departments for those who are most seriously ill."

Kirsten Willis-Drewett from the South Coast Ambulance Service gives advice on when to call 999 and when to call NHS 111.

Kirsten Willis-Drewett from the South Coast Ambulance Service says the two week lead up to Christmas is one of its busiest times.

"Last year we took around 29,000 calls across that festive period. It's already busy this year so we're expecting a busy festive season again."

Demand has gone up exponentially in recent years but she says not everyone needs hospital level medical care.

"On average we only convey about 40 per cent of those patients that we receive as emergency calls through to hospitals."

If it's not a life or limb emergency, people are being asked to call NHS 111 instead, a 24-7 service with paramedics, nurses, GPs available.

"Always consider that first, unless you're experiencing an immediate life-threatening situation such as somebody being unconscious or not breathing or perhaps having fallen from a height or involved in a traffic collision."

"Perhaps you're having chest pain or symptoms of a stroke, we need to be able to get to those patients."

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