The Urgent Care service in the Saddlers Centre is relocating to join up on a single site at Walsall Manor Hospital, bringing a number of benefits to patients.

The move, from this evening, (Friday 12 April) is an early implementation of Walsall Clinical Commissioning Group’s  existing plans to move the service to a single site by 2020.

Miss Ruchi Joshi, Walsall Healthcare’s Clinical Lead for Emergency Services, said: “Moving the Urgent Treatment Centre allows staff to assess patients and decide whether they need to be seen by urgent care or in ED and staff can also arrange blood tests, X-rays and scans if necessary and seek specialist opinion.

“Currently some patients will attend the ED in hours and once assessed they are referred to the Urgent Care Centre and vice versa.  This means that the patient is assessed twice and there is a delay as the patient travels in between the two sites. A centralised service is easier for patients as all treatments can be delivered on site.”

There are a range of healthcare services available to Walsall residents.

For minor illnesses have a chat to your local pharmacist or take up one of the extra GP appointments that are being provided from the primary care hubs at evenings and weekends.

For an urgent medical need that isn’t an emergency NHS 111 is available 24/7 with trained advisers to help you get the right medical attention.