Threat of closure to urgent care centre just over a year after opening

Discussions are under way over the future of an NHS urgent care centre in Slough offering same-day treatment – little more than a year on from its opening.

Slough Urgent Care Centre in Priors Close provides walk-in care and was opened to reduce pressure on Wexham Park Hospital’s emergency department, in November 2023.

But amid ‘significant’ demand on health services this winter, the NHS trust that helps manage the centre is now considering whether to ‘co-locate’ it at Wexham Park.

An NHS Frimley Health Foundation Trust spokesperson said discussions over the Priors Close centre’s future were in response to the ‘changing needs’ of the Slough community.

The trust runs hospitals across the area including Frimley Park Hospital in Camberley and Slough’s Wexham Park Hospital where emergency departments [EDs] are facing intense demand.

Almost 30 per cent of ED patients are waiting longer than four hours for treatment and build-ups have meant increased numbers of people treated in corridors.

An urgent care centre in Aldershot was closed last year – ending a 12-month ‘pilot scheme’ – and integrated with the trust's Frimley Park Hospital to create an Urgent Treatment Centre.

According to a report from the trust’s chief executive Lance McCarthy, prepared for a meeting set for today (Friday), this move had allowed patients to receive ‘faster’ treatment.

“Co-location with the emergency department supports the ease of redirection from the ED, enabling appropriate patients to be seen faster by an appropriate clinician,” Mr McCarthy said in the report.

The board papers added the trust was ‘in the very early stages’ of discussions over whether the Priors Close centre ‘should be co-located’ with Wexham Park Hospital’s emergency department.

No timeline for any possible move has been offered.

The trust manages Slough Urgent Care Centre in partnership with Frimley Health and Care Integrated Care System (ICS) - a group of local authorities and NHS health providers. 

News of the potential closure comes amid a plea to residents from health leaders at the trust to avoid Wexham Park Hospital’s emergency department unless absolutely necessary.

A letter from chief medical officer Tim Ho and head of nursing and midwifery Melanie van Limborgh said, ‘we are facing sustained and significant pressures across our services’.

Nearly 20 NHS hospitals across the country have declared ‘critical incidents’ due to surges in demand this winter.

The letter added, ‘if your issue is not urgent, we ask you to consider other healthcare options’.

It said alternatives included pharmacies, GPs, calling 111 and urgent care centres – which provide treatment for minor injuries and illnesses.

Patients are still advised to call 999 or visit a hospital emergency department if they are experiencing a ‘life-threatening emergency’.

When approached for comment on discussions over the future of the Priors Close centre, an NHS Frimley Health Foundation Trust spokesperson said: “We always aim to respond to the changing health needs of our community.

“This includes providing them with access to urgent care services while ensuring emergency department teams can focus on caring for patients who need immediate attention for serious and life-threatening conditions.”