Our proposed model of hospital care takes into account the expected changes in our population over the coming years and how the best care can be provided for everyone.
Currently Epsom and St Helier A&E departments see and treat over 152,000 patients every year. In the proposals the majority (two thirds) of these patients, that’s 99,000 people, would still be able to use their local hospital as in all of the options both Epsom and St Helier hospitals would have an urgent treatment centre (UTC) open 24 hours a day, 365 days of the year. If the new specialist emergency care hospital facility is located at Sutton, there would be an additional UTC based at Sutton. They would be the front door to urgent and emergency care for people which make their own way to hospital and would be staffed by doctors and emergency care nurses. This would mean that people would continue to go to their own local hospital, as they do now, with injuries (including limb factures) and conditions which need to be seen urgent but are not life-threatening.
The UTCs would be able to treat conditions including broken bones, cuts and bruises, objects in the eye, sprains, and raised temperatures and a condition that would normally be treated at the GP practice but the patient cannot get an appointment as early as liked.
Having the new specialist emergency care hospital on one site in a new purpose-built facility would mean that the most unwell patients, those who need more specialist care would have access to the very best expertise and facilities in one place 24 hours a day, 365 days of the year. This is essential to improve patient outcomes. These patients would usually come to hospital by emergency ambulance or by ambulance following a GP referral.