Fears over confusion not realised say health officials

At the beginning of the month, Bishop Auckland Hospital’s accident and emergency department closed, to be replaced with an urgent care centre, so anyone with a serious medical condition, or who needed surgery, had to be taken to Darlington Memorial Hospital or the University Hospital of North Durham, in Durham City.

Senior doctors at the County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust feared that some patients would turn up at the wrong place.

But many said that the vast majority are going to the most appropriate place to be treated.

Dr Robert McEwan, director of operations, said: “This is a major change in services and we anticipated that there would be some patients who would turn up in the wrong place, despite our efforts to publicise the changes.”

Dr McEwan said the trust had a number of contingency plans, but so far there has been little need for them.

He said it was extremely important that patients should know where to go to get the right services – the accident and emergency departments for serious injuries and illnesses and the urgent care centre in Bishop Auckland for minor injuries and illnesses.

But, some patients from the Bishop Auckland area have travelled to Darlington for minor treatment, which they could have got closer to home.

Joan Clancy, accident and emergency consultant, said: “Choosing the right service is fundamental to a patient’s care. If a patient gets the right treatment at the right time, it can make a real difference.”

She stressed that the majority of injuries and illnesses where people would have gone to accident and emergency at Bishop Auckland in the past, can still be treated at the urgent care centre.

“Uncomplicated fractures of the lower limbs, for instance, would be classed as a minor injury and could be treated in Bishop Auckland,”

said Ms Clancy.

Make your choice wisely

PATIENTS across the region are being urged to “Choose Well” when using the NHS.

The Choose Well campaign aims to ensure that NHS services are used in the most appropriate way and highlights the choices patients have when seeking treatment.

Traditionally, people tend to rely on accident and emergency departments at local hospitals for many treatments, when sometimes a trip to the pharmacist, phone call to NHS Direct or visit to the local walk-in centre might be more suitable.

The campaign uses a colour-coded thermometer to emphasise not only the severity of the illness, but the six areas of healthcare that patients can use: self-care, NHS Direct helpline, pharmacists, GPs, urgent care or walk-in centres and accident and emergency departments.

The campaign will be advertised on regional TV, radio and internet.