Plans unveiled to relocate Peterborough’s walk-in centre to city hospital

A report from local health chiefs has revealed that a public consultation on the proposed move will begin in August.

The relocation, which it is hoped will take place before winter, would end emergency health provision in the city centre but would provide a single point of care for patients.

This could help reduce the numbers visiting the hospital’s Emergency Department as patients could be re-directed to a different service in the same building.

The existing City Care Centre in Thorpe Road currently houses the Urgent Treatment Centre and GP Out of Hours services.

The rationale behind the move has been outlined in a report to Peterborough city councillors by Caroline Walker, the hospital’s chief executive, in collaboration with health partners.

The report states: “Patients will no longer have to make decisions for themselves about how serious their illness or injury is, there will be a single point of access for all of these services on one site.”

The single point of access would be at the city hospital in Bretton, operating 24 hours a day for 365 days a year.

Patients would be met by a trained clinician who would direct them to the most appropriate service, while appointments could also be pre-booked.

The report states that 72.85 per cent (4,113) of people who took part in a Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Clinical Commissioning Group survey last year said they would like one place to contact for advice and treatment.

It adds: “People told us that they are often confused by the range of services. They sometimes aren’t in a position to decide what is and isn’t an emergency. When a person you care about needs help or is in pain then it can feel like an emergency, and you take them to where you know they will get help.”

The proposed relocation has been on the agenda for a number of years, with city councillors briefed on the idea back in 2016.

Issues which could arise from the move could include accessing the service, particularly for people relying on public transport, and a shortage of parking spaces.

In January, Ms Walker told councillors that “the hospital was very badly designed – there simply are not enough car parking spaces for staff or the public”.

Councillors will discuss the issue on Tuesday and decide whether to give their approval for the consultation to take place.