Croydon Urgent Care Alliance¹ – a new team made up of Croydon Health Services NHS Trust, Croydon GP Collaborative and AT Medics – has been chosen by Croydon Clinical Commissioning Group as the preferred bidder to run a new network of urgent care services across the borough from April 2017.

From spring 2017, people living and working in Croydon will have access to wide range of services run by a team of doctors and nurses to provide seamless expert care.

The plans were drawn up by clinicians after extensive engagement with local residents who called for extended opening hours, improved urgent care access to GPs, expanded services with more urgent care facilities away from Croydon University Hospital, and a simpler system with clear descriptions and better signposting.

The new services will include:

• Three ‘GP Hubs’ open 365 days a year, from 8am to 8pm and able to treat all ages with urgent needs. The GP Hubs will offer longer opening hours and will enhance the services available at Purley War Memorial Hospital, New Addington Minor Injuries Unit and Edridge Road Walk-in Centre;²
• 24/7 Urgent Care Centre at the front door of the Emergency Department at Croydon University Hospital; which will include the functions of the GP hub for the north of the borough;
• A roving GP service will provide urgent home visits to care for local residents and prevent unnecessary hospital admissions;
• Out-of-hours GP services will provide rapid telephone advice, face-to-face consultations and home visits from trained clinicians between 6.30pm to 8.30am Monday to Friday, and 24/7 over the weekends and during bank holidays.

The new ‘GP Hubs’ will be led by GPs, and can treat all ages. They will provide all of the same services as the current Walk-in Centre at Edridge Road combined with those provided at the Minor Injuries Units at Purley and New Addington. Local people will be able to get advice and treatment from GPs and nurses for minor illnesses, injuries and ailments between 8am and 8pm, 365 days a year.

Clinicians in Croydon are encouraging people to “phone before you go” to direct people to the most appropriate services available.  To get the best and fastest care, people should call NHS 111.  NHS 111 is fast, easy and free to call from landlines and mobiles. Callers can speak to highly-trained advisors supported by health professionals to refer people to the best medical care for their symptoms. This could be taking care of yourself at home, visiting a community pharmacist, or being booked in for an urgent appointment at one of the borough’s new GP hubs.

Dr Anthony Brzezicki, Clinical Chair, Croydon Clinical Commissioning Group, said: “The new urgent care service, which has been designed by and for local people, will improve the outcomes, safety and experience of local people, helping them to get the right treatment by the right person in the right place. We look forward to working with Croydon Urgent Care Alliance over the coming weeks and months to get these services up and running for April next year.”

The Croydon Urgent Care Alliance promises to offer Croydon residents rapid access to a network of clinical expertise and with services working together to provide joined-up care.

Dr Kathryn Channing, lead consultant for the Emergency Department at Croydon University Hospital said: “People who are very unwell will always be prioritised when they come to the Emergency Department, and will be seen straight away if their condition demands it – but we also see many other patients with non-urgent conditions who could get faster treatment elsewhere. Being part of the Alliance means that no matter what your urgent  or emergency care need is, you will be seen by one team, with the hospital and local GPs working together to provide the right care for you. If you are feeling unwell, the best advice is to phone before you go and call NHS 111 to help us direct you to the services you need.”

Dr John Chan, a local GP and the chair of Croydon GP Collaborative said: “We know from speaking to our patients, that care has often been fragmented with patients handed from one service to another.  Bringing our services together will mean that people are not passed from pillar to post. Our structure aims to deliver one service, through one team and achieve one very-high standard – and that is to deliver outstanding quality care.”

Dr Fiyaz Lebbe, GP Director of AT Medics added: “Combining our experience of running the Minor Injuries Units at Purley and New Addington, and working in partnership with our GP and hospital colleagues, means we are able to build services around the needs of our patients and local residents. Alongside extended opening hours for GP Hubs, and with direct links into hospital care and local pharmacies, we can help more Croydon families and people of all ages to stay well and – when it is needed – be there to provide the right expert care, in the right place, first time.”

Once the contract is signed it will run for three years from April 2017, with an option to extend for a further two years.

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Notes to Editors

1. Croydon Urgent Care Alliance (CUCA) is an alliance between Croydon Health Services NHS Trust (CHS), Croydon GP Collaborative Ltd (CGPC) and AT Medics Ltd (ATM). The Alliance partners have agreed to work cohesively to deliver a fully integrated urgent care system in Croydon.  The Board of the Croydon Urgent Care Alliance will include senior representatives of the three organisations. Croydon Clinical Commissioning Group selected Croydon Urgent Care Alliance as the preferred bidder to deliver the borough’s integrated urgent care services after a competitive procurement process. The move follows extensive engagement with local residents earlier this year to develop a new model for urgent care services which will see services expanded across the borough.

2. The third GP hub will be located at or close to the current walk in centre service on Edridge Road. The exact location of this site will be part of the contract negotiations.

3. For more information about the provision of health services in Croydon, please contact the Croydon Clinical Commissioning Group’s media line on 030 0042 4499

4. For information on the Croydon Urgent Care Alliance, please call communications team at Croydon Health Services on 020 8401 3627/3959 or email CH-tr.comms@nhs.net. Out of hours, please call the Trust’s main switchboard on 020 8401 3000 and ask for the Press Officer On-Call.