Have your say on out-of-hospital urgent care services in north Wales
The North Wales health board has launched a review of out-of-hospital urgent care services in response to the ongoing pressure on Emergency Department (ED) services.
It review aims to identify alternative solutions to address the issue of patients seeking care at A&E departments for non-life-threatening health needs.
Understanding that many of these patients could have been seen by alternative local health services, the review seeks to examine the availability, accessibility, and public awareness of these options.
Areas of focus for the review include in-hours and out-of-hours primary and community care services such as GPs, dentistry, ophthalmology, pharmacy, and community nursing services.
Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board – the largest health board in Wales – is inviting the public to share their experiences by completing a voluntary, anonymous, and confidential questionnaire.
It states: “Emergency Department services across the UK, including here in Wales have been and continue to be under extreme pressure, with people having significant waits before they are seen. When we look at the reasons why people are attending A&E departments, we know that many could have been seen by alternative local health services.
“However, they may not have known about these services, where these are located or the times they operate.
“To help us understand this more we are undertaking a review of out of hospital urgent services. These are the services that help people who have non life- threatening health needs, but don’t need to attend A&E departments.
“The review will look at all areas of in hours and out of hours primary and community care, including, GPs, Dentistry, Ophthalmology, Pharmacy and Community Nursing services.
“We are inviting you to complete this survey to help us understand your experience of accessing these services for yourself or on behalf of someone you are caring for.”
Questions include whether the participant has needed to access urgent care, if they are aware of the services available and when they last accessed urgent care.
The feedback received will be used to log and review key themes, with an Engagement Report to be published detailing the public’s input.
This report will subsequently inform future options development and decisions on improving urgent care services.
By gathering and analysing valuable public contributions, the health board aims to ease the strain on Emergency Departments and provide more efficient and accessible healthcare alternatives for non-life-threatening needs.
This initiative reflects Betsi Cadwaladr’s commitment to improving healthcare services for the people of Wales while addressing the ongoing challenges faced by Emergency Departments nationwide.
To complete the survey, click here: https://www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/NorthWalesUrgentCareReviewSurveyBCUHB2023/ . The deadline for submission is 21 May 2023.
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