Dudley Urgent Care Centre: Where are we now?
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Healthwatch Dudley staff and volunteers visited Russells Hall Hospital Accident and Emergency Department and Dudley Urgent Care Centre between 20 and 26 July 2015. Different segments of the day and night were covered over a 24 hour period during the seven days to get people’s views and experiences of accessing urgent care services and insights into the operation of the Dudley Urgent Care Centre.
A questionnaire survey was designed and made available as a paper-based document that Healthwatch Dudley staff and volunteers used to get people’s views and experiences of accessing urgent care services. A total of 171 visitors to the Dudley Urgent Care Centre participated in the questionnaire survey. Healthwatch Dudley staff and volunteers also spent time observing staff and visitors to the hospital and urgent care centre reception and waiting areas.
The emerging themes included comments and observations relating to:
- The Russells Hall Hospital Accident and Emergency Department reception and Dudley Urgent Care Centre streaming
- Travelling from the Russells Hall Hospital Accident and Emergency Department to the Dudley Urgent Care Centre waiting area
- Signage at the Russells Hall Hospital and Dudley Urgent Care Centre
- Russells Hall Hospital and Dudley Urgent Care Centre cleanliness
- Visitor privacy at the Dudley Urgent Care Centre
- The services that the Dudley Urgent Care Centre provides
- Facilities for younger visitors to the Dudley Urgent Care Centre
There are benefits for visitors to the Dudley Urgent Care Centre associated with it being co-located at the Russells Hall Hospital adjacent to the Accident and Emergency Department and close to other key hospital services. In turn, it operates on a 24 hours a day, 7 days a week basis and there are more staff than there were in the old Walk-in Centre with a wider range of skills and expertise. However, the study identifies possible scope for improvement at the Dudley Urgent Care Centre and to the services it provides.