Decision details

Further to Minute No. 77 of the meeting of the Health Select Commission held on 18^th April, 2013, consideration was given to a report presented by the Scrutiny Manager providing a summary of and the conclusions from the workshop sessions held between some members of the Health Select Commission and colleagues from the Rotherham Clinical Commissioning Group, which had examined the proposal to create a co-located Urgent Care Centre based at the Rotherham hospital. It was noted that this proposal would involve the closure of the NHS walk-in centre situated at Rawmarsh Road, Rotherham, adjacent to Bailey House. The workshops’ conclusions were:-

(i) There is a strong clinical case for integration of the services, which Members support;

(ii) There are significant concerns about the access issues outlined in the report creating a barrier to the success of the proposals;  and

(iii) There is a less convincing case for co-location and the spending of a large sum of capital funding on another new building.

Discussion took place on:-

: difficulty of access to the proposed co-located services, including the costs of travelling and parking involved when people will have to access these services at the Rotherham hospital; the limitations of bus services, from some outlying areas, to the Rotherham hospital;

: the severe pressures placed upon the Accident and Emergency Unit at the Rotherham hospital;

: difficulties in using the NHS ‘111’ telephone number in order to access emergency care;

: whether there is a sufficiently robust case to spend a substantial amount of money on a new building in which to accommodate the proposed co-located services.

Resolved:- (1) That the report be received and its contents noted.

(2) That, further to the conclusions reached by Members of the Health Select Commission who were part of the workshop meetings, this Select Commission:-

(a) agrees that there is a clinical case to be made in respect of the proposal to create a co-located Urgent Care Centre based at the Rotherham hospital;

(b) opposes the financial case for this proposed co-location, especially in the light of the current financial pressures upon the Rotherham hospital;

(c) notes that the NHS walk-in centre situated at Rawmarsh Road, Rotherham is a relatively new facility, one which is valued and very well used by the public of Rotherham and is in an easily-accessible town centre location; and

(d) expresses concern about the adequacy of the existing car parking facilities at the Rotherham hospital and whether there would be sufficient space available for the additional vehicles generated by visitors to the proposed co-located services;

(e) opposes the intention of the Rotherham hospital to impose charges for car parking upon visitors to the proposed co-located services.