The ICS is redesigning Minor Injury Units (MIUs) and Walk in Centres (WICs) as Urgent Treatment Centres (UTCs) in a bid to standardise access to same day urgent care for patients.
Professor Andrew Rhodes, joint chief medical officer, said: ‘Walk in Centres and Minor Injury Units have developed over time, so they have different opening times and offer different services. This can be extremely confusing to patients and can default in them attending hospital emergency departments because they are unclear on where they can access the care they need and which services will be open.
‘Not only will this change help standardise the service offer and help ensure patients are able to access same day urgent care services more easily, but it will simplify their pathway and reduce the reliance on hospital Emergency Departments, with additional support and signposting from NHS 111 and primary care.
‘This will mean shorter waits for people who require urgent same day care, a better patient experience and improved care outcomes for all. It will also help ensure our Emergency Departments are focusing on those patients who are critically ill, instead of treating injuries that are more minor that could be seen at a UTC.'
The move, which is planned to take place from 1 April 2025, will see enhanced services at four sites; Ashford Walk in Centre, Woking Walk In-Centre, Haslemere Minor Injuries Unit and Caterham Dene Minor Injury Unit.
A 25% increase in patients is expected across all sites with UTCs expected to be open longer hours, have more consistent investigative and diagnostic services on site with multi-disciplinary teams that can see both booked and walk in patients.
The changes are a response to NHS England's Urgent and Emergency Care (UEC) Recovery Plan and wider plans to ensure patients can access a range of early intervention services outside acute hospitals (for unplanned, urgent care), which will reduce unnecessary attendances at hospital emergency departments and help protect those services for those who really need them.
