New Round-the-Clock Urgent Treatment Centre Opens in Grantham
The new 24/7 Urgent Treatment Centre (UTC) in Grantham, Lincolnshire, has officially opened its doors to patients, replacing the former hospital's Accident and Emergency (A&E) department. The creation of the UTC began in 2016 following an identified need for an around-the-clock urgent care service for the local community.
Overcoming Past Challenges
Since 2016, the A&E unit at Grantham Hospital provided limited hours from 8 am to 6:30 pm due to severe staff shortages that rendered an overnight service unsafe. The decision to replace it with a full-time UTC came after a 12-week public consultation by the Lincolnshire Integrated Care Board.
UTC Services
Accessible 24 hours a day, the UTC can handle non-critical conditions such as suspected broken limbs, sprains, strains, and fevers in both adults and children. Patients can walk in at any time, or book appointments through the 111 service.
Operation and Patient Care
The new service retains the majority of doctors, general practitioners, and nursing staff from the former A&E department. On-site access to X-ray, CT, and MRI scanners will complement the service. An integrated community and acute medical service, jointly provided by Lincolnshire Community Health Services NHS Trust, will support patient care and onward transfers if required.
Michelle Harris, the Chief Operating Officer for United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust, expressed, "We are pleased to be able to restore a 24 hour service to Grantham and District Hospital. The service offered at the new UTC will be very similar [to the A&E], delivered by a skilled range of medical and nursing staff. It will also be an ‘enhanced’ UTC compared to others in the county, offering additional diagnostic capabilities and enhanced staffing to safely serve the people of Grantham and the surrounding areas".
Sunil Hindocha, Medical Director for Lincolnshire ICB, added, "We’re pleased that the decision taken following public consultation is now being implemented, giving people local to Grantham the 24/7 access to urgent and emergency care services they told us was so important."