FIVE NHS walk-in centres across Wirral could be AXED as a result of an upcoming consultation, with all services moved to one of the borough’s main hospitals.

The walk-in facilities at Eastham Clinic and Victoria Central Wallasey, Miriam Medical Centre in Birkenhead, Parkfield Medical Centre in New Ferry and Moreton Health Clinic could ALL go following a consultation.

It’s all in a bid by NHS Wirral’s Clinical Commissioning Group to make the system less confusing, ease pressure on A&E, and move care “closer to home”. The move could see more GP appointments and local “health and wellbeing centres” introduced instead.

The Urgent Care Consultation proposals would see the creation of a new Urgent Treatment Centre (UTC) at Arrowe Park Hospital providing all routine walk-in services in Wirral, and with access to “a range of healthcare staff”.

It comes after a community campaign saw walk-in services at Eastham Clinic saved last year, with full opening hours having returned in May.

It had been earmarked for permanent closure, but remained open thanks to a public outcry from politicians, residents and businesses.

Under the current proposals, they, along with walk-in services at the other four listed centres, would be scrapped once more.

Responding to Thursday’s news, Eastham ward Cllr Phil Gilchrist said: “Local walk-in centres grew up because there were great pressures on local surgeries. Our local walk-in centre was saved and re-opened to meet real needs in our area.

“The consultation document promises longer opening hours from the surgeries. In our community, before the walk-in developed, people queued to get in some surgeries. People need to know whether the new idea will be as good as or better than we have now. Can they get through on the phone? Can they get an appointment and actually get there?

“These are the things we need to know. New housing estates are being squeezed in across Wirral, there are more frail and elderly people. People need clarity and certainty.”

The consultation document said that all other clinical services provided at these locations, including blood tests, would not be affected by these changes.

There will also be provision for walk-in and bookings for urgent care for children and young people aged 0-19, with locations for these to be decided at “a later date”.

According to the document released on Thursday, having a UTC will “provide a higher and more consistent level of clinical service than the current walk-in centres and minor illness/injury units”. It will be led by GPs and provide access to “a range of healthcare staff”.

It added that having a UTC on the hospital site will mean patients arriving for urgent care can be assessed and directed to either A&E or to be seen by a GP or nurse.

“We have considered whether other existing sites in Wirral including walk-in centres and minor injury/illness units could provide UTC facilities.

“Whilst they could deliver these services with some development work, we do not believe that they offer the same benefits to patients,” it said.

According to the CCG, the proposals were “not about saving money”, but that it needed to ensure the UTC and its proposed model of care was “within the amount we have available to spend”.

It added: “Keeping our services as they are would also continue to confuse people about the choices available to them.”

Introducing the consultation, a letter from Simon Banks, chief officer of Wirral Health and Care Commissioning, said: “Over the last two years we have been doing a lot of work to understand how urgent care services in Wirral are used and we are now ready to propose a new way in which people can access urgent care in future.

“We believe there is a more efficient way to provide urgent care services, which is better for patients. The proposed model will enhance patient safety and improve patient outcomes through the delivery of a clear and consistent model of urgent care in Wirral, with closer integrated working between the health and care partners involved in delivering urgent care.”

He said in February, the CCG asked for people’s views on the services, and were told the current system is “confusing”, and that “often people do not know which services to use and when”.

The proposed service will make it easier for people to make the “right choice” of what care or treatment they need, he added.

Mr Banks said Wirral was not the only area of England to be making changes like this, and that Arrowe Park’s existing walk-in centre will be “developed” as a result, with the consultation to also decide how many hours the UTC should open.

The consultation document said the CCG was not proposing to change the way people accessed their local GP, and that even more appointments will be made available.

It added that a future “vision” of the CCG is to provide four health and wellbeing centres across the borough, which would include NHS staff as well as social care workers, therapists and links with charitable and voluntary organisations.

It said that would “take time” as services are reviewed across Wirral.

The changes also include an improved NHS 111 service – meaning more clinical assessments by doctors and nurses over the phone and online.

There will also be a focus on promoting “self care”, as well as more pharmacists able to prescribe medication.

The public consultation aiming to “combine national requirements with local need” is asking for people’s views on what is most important to them, before making any decisions.

Made up of events and surveys, it will run until December, and more details can be found by visiting: http://www.wirralurgentcare.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/consultation-document.pdf