Longer opening hours for hospital as walk-in patients return after upgrade

The Urgent Treatment Centre (UTC) at Spalding’s Johnson Hospital is to get extended opening hours from today (Thursday).

The service was upgraded from a Minor Injuries Unit (MIU) when it reopened in April after nearly a year of being closed to walk-in patients.

Health officials say the numbers using the service are continuing to increase.

That’s led to the seven-day service being open from 8am to 8pm every day whereas previously it closed its doors at 6pm.

Tracy Pilcher, director of nursing, allied health professionals and operations at Lincolnshire Community Health Services NHS Trust (LCHS) which oversees the running of the hospital, said: “Our attendances at Spalding UTC have now returned to the levels we were seeing prior to the temporary closure as part of the response to the pandemic.

“It is important for us to offer people from the Spalding area care close to home and in support of that, from Thursday July 1, we will be extending Spalding UTC’s opening hours from 8am to 8pm (currently 8am to 6pm).

“LCHS is committed to providing a consistent level of urgent care services, and while patients are still able to walk in to our UTCs, we ask them to call NHS111 first to make it quicker and easier to get the right advice or treatment.

“This may include a booked appointment at our UTC, which helps to minimise waiting times and supports us with social distancing in waiting areas.”

921 people visited the UTC in April, its first month after opening, which rose to 1,249 in May.

Figures submitted show the number of people at Boston’s walk-in services nearly doubled while Spalding’s walk-in services were closed while others with South Holland post codes attended walk-in services in Peterborough.

The drop in usage of Johnson Hospital was 84 per cent.

A report on the usage of the hospitals in the county came before Lincolnshire County Council’s Health Scrutiny Board last week.

It says: “The average daily attendance number to Spalding pre-COVID-19 was 59.

“Since restoration the site is now a UTC and attendance numbers are recovering well, averaging at 36 per day and rising.

“It can clearly be seen that when Spalding closed a lot of patients chose to go to Boston instead, and restoration of this site will also have a positive impact on patients travelling and the activity seen at Boston UTC.”