Yesterday saw the fiest meeting of Willenhall North/Willenhall South and Short Heath Area Panel since the local elections in late May.

As we reported yesterday Walsall Clinical Commissioning Group presnted a report to the panel on their consultation on Urgent and Emergency Care Choices in Walsall.

Local GP Dr Anand Rischie presented the report outlined here:

We are reviewing the borough’s urgent and emergency care services so that they are fit for the future, remain high quality and meet more of our residents’ needs.

As part of this review, we are running a public consultation from 23 May to 14 August 2014 that asks two main questions. We invite you to give us your feedback so that we can make the best decision on the future of services for the benefit of local people. The best way to do this is to complete our online survey – you can also join us at our events below.

What is the problem?

1. People tell us that they don’t know where to go when they need to see a doctor or nurse quickly
2. The building that houses Walsall Walk-in Health Centre won’t be available from April 2015
3. Demands on all urgent care services have grown significantly

What have we done?

We have talked to many people to understand what works well and what needs to change. We have used this information to develop the vision for urgent and emergency care.

What does the consultation include?

The consultation runs from 23 May to 14 August 2014. We are asking two questions:

For further information, download a consultation document or an easy to read version. Our easy read version is also available in other languages:

• Guajarati
• Punjabi
• Arabic
• Urdu
• Hindi
• Bengali
• Polish

How to take part

There are a range of ways you can feedback during the consultation:

• Online survey: complete the online survey here
• Events: book on to any of our four big public events below:

Click to book a place on:

• Thursday 19 June
• Thursday 3 July
• Thursday 10 July
• Thursday 17 July

How will my views help?

Your views are really important to us. What you tell us will help us plan the best urgent and emergency care services for you over the next three to five years.

What is urgent and emergency care?

Help me to choose the right service to use

There are a range of options open to residents in Walsall. For more information, click the graphic below.

Points that were raised at last night’s meeting were centred around the following issues:

1. People in New Invention and parts of Short Heath would normally be drawn towards New Cross Hospital in Wednesfield for these services and not the Manor Hospital Walsall
2. Access to the Manor Hospital via public transport is difficult at best
3. Parking charges at the Manor Hospital are extortionate. (This also applies to New Cross)
4. Many residents in Short Heath probably would not be aware of this consultation as one of the main places where it is advertised is through GP surgeries. Inspite of pressure from the Council, us as local councillors and residents living in Short Heath, NHS England continue to resist putting in a GP’s practice in the area.
5. The consultation seems to be heading towards having the Urgent and Emergency Care Unit next to A & E at Walsall’s Manor Hospital simply because other locations for the other two options have yet to be identified
6. Finally, there is so much available through so many different sources; GPs, Hospitals, Specialist Units, Pharmacies etc that people don’t know where best to access the system

It is for these reasons that this consultation and your input into it is so important. Use the links above to have your say on shaping this service. There is still plenty of time. Consultation continues till 14th August