Widnes UTC Feedback report - September 2022
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During the last seven years, Healthwatch Halton has visited two local Urgent Treatment Centres on a regular basis to ask patients about their experiences there and if they had looked for help of advice elsewhere beforehand. During pandemic restrictions, Healthwatch Halton could not carry out these visits, but following the easing of restrictions it became possible to do so again.
This report details Healthwatch Halton’s findings from conducting a survey during four visits to Widnes Urgent Treatment Centre across May to August. Each visit lasted between two to three hours and in total 77 people took part.
57% said they had looked for help of advice before attending, with the GP being the most common point of contact. 56% said that if there wasn't an Urgent Treatment Centre locally they would have gone to A&E. 39% of people said they were seen and discharged within an hour. However, 23% said it took over 3 hours.
Healthwatch Halton found all staff at the centre to be helpful and courteous to patients throughout their visits, which is reflected in the feedback. The majority of people gave positive feedback on their experience. There was very little dissatisfaction with the service in general, apart from comments about waiting times on a busy day during the June visit.