Updated 11 December 2014
Coastal Health Care, Morecambe Same Day Health Centre (MSDHC) is registered with the Care Quality Commission to provide urgent care consultations to patients in the local area. The service is commissioned by the Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) to provide ‘on the day’ GP services across the whole of the population of the local CCG. The practice provides a service from 8am -8pm seven days per week.
MSDHC are registered with the CQC to deliver the following regulated activities; treatment for disease, disorder and injury and diagnostic and screening services.
The service was originally commissioned to provide an 8am-6.30pm seven day a week service due to a reduced number of GP’s available in the local area which is indicated by the Indices of Multiple Deprivation (2010) to be amongst the fifth most disadvantaged area of the country.
The service was successful in achieving a Prime Ministers Challenge bid that has resulted in extended opening hours to 8am-8pm seven days a week and to also offer radiology services to patients. The service has GP appointments available Monday to Friday 10am-6pm and nurse appointments available at all times when the service is open. Appointments are available with either the GP or nurses dependant on need. The weekend service is nurse led with a GP available for telephone advice. All appointments are 15 minutes in duration.
Patients can access the service via the 111 telephone service or via their own GP practice who hold a number of ‘on the day’ appointments for their patients. Each GP practice had the option to divert 1% of their minor illness patients per day to the service. This allows GPs to have more time for in-depth appointments for their chronic disease management patients. In total this means the service offer 69 urgent appointments for minor illness to the GP practices on a daily basis. The service also offer ‘walk in’ appointments to patients who sustain minor injuries or present with chest pains and also accepted Category C patients from the North West Ambulance Service (NWAS). Category C patients are those presenting conditions which are not immediately serious or life threatening. Every fourth appointment during the day is left vacant to accommodate emergency ‘walk in’ or ambulance patients attending the service.
The service is based in a large single storey building shared with other services including GP and Out of Hours (OOHs) services. They have appropriate access for patients with limited mobility. There are radiology facilities available at the service.
The service currently has four directors overseeing the service, senior management team; a team of eight GP’s working a variety of hours and three senior Advanced Nurse Practitioners. Working alongside these staff members are eight emergency or unscheduled care nurses and eight health care support workers all are supported by a small administration team. The service has access to four clinic rooms, one treatment room and one GP consulting room.