Widnes UTC Feedback report - March 2024
Summary
The results and feedback show that the UTC offers an excellent alternative for patients who feel they need same day treatment and may have visited A&E instead if there wasn’t a local UTC available.
It supports patients attending from Halton and further afield, many of whom have been unable to access suitable appointments with their own GP practices and see the UTC as a viable alternative for treatment.
During our visits we observed staff treating patients with dignity and respect and being, friendly, helpful and courteous to patients, which is also reflected in the comments from patients taking part in our survey.
The Widnes UTC service is generally well valued by the people using it, with 94% of patients likely to recommend the service to friends or family members. Patient satisfaction rates do tend to vary in line with how busy the service is and how long patients have to wait for treatment.
Observations, suggestions and recommendations
These suggestions and recommendations are made for both the service provider and service commissioners.
- Information screens. Feedback highlighted a need for an improved way of keeping patients updated on waiting times. This is an issue that is often raised with us when we visit the UTC and is something we have suggested previously and is currently in place at the Runcorn Urgent Treatment Centre. Waiting times for the Runcorn UTC are also displayed online at https://dashboard.whh.nhs.uk/ed/. If a system similar to this was introduced, we feel it would be of benefit to patients using the centre.
- Next patient please! We recommend a review of the way patients are currently called in for triage or treatment. People told us that it is sometimes difficult to hear staff calling out patient names if they aren’t sitting immediately by the treatment area.
- During our visits we’ve had some people asking about getting drinks of water. We are aware that water is available for patients at reception upon request, but we saw no notices to highlight this to patients. If this facility is to be offered, then patients need to be made aware of it. We recommend the installation of a water cooler, in line with the one provided at the Runcorn UTC
- Several people were confused as to where they had to wait for an x-ray, and we had a number of patients ask us to point out the toilets. Improved signage from both entrances to the HCRC for these would be helpful to patients.
Observation: We noticed that Dressings appointments were adding to the wait times as people could not always get an appointment at a dressing clinic so had to come to the UTC for essential dressing changes, which usually require a longer appointment.
