Tag: NHS Birmingham and Solihull

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NEWS: Warren Farm Urgent Treatment Centre “temporarily relocating” to Erdington High Street

Words and pics by Ed King

Warren Farm Urgent Treatment Centre (UTC) will be “temporarily relocating” to Erdington High Street, healthcare bosses have announced.

From Tuesday 11 June, the Kingstanding facility, which supported local residents with immediate medical issues, will be “fully operational” from the Erdington Health and Wellbeing Hub – a few doors down from The Church Tavern and opposite Lloyds Bank in Erdington Town Centre.

After relocating to Erdington Town Centre, NHS bosses have also told the newly located facility will be renamed the North Birmingham UTC.

Warren Farm UTC is being closed after it was discovered panels in the roof had been constructed with Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC), posing a serious health risk to both staff and patients.

David Melbourne, Chief Executive of NHS Birmingham and Solihull, said: “The decision to move the Urgent Treatment Centre is not one which has been taken lightly, but I want to emphasise that this is a temporary relocation.”

He added: “We are in the very early stages of a review of the provision of all six UTCs operating across the city and borough, and will be seeking the views of our communities to ensure provision meets the needs of our patients and families.”

But in a strange twist of fate, the new home of the Warren Farm UTC is the old home of the Erdington UTC, which was shut down in 2020 and relocated Stockland Green despite widespread protest from local residents and elected officials – including Erdingotn’s previous MP Jack Dromey, who passed away in January 2022.

And whilst residents in Erdington Town Centre may be pleased to see the return of an Urgent Treatment Centre back on the High Street, people living in Kingstanding are still unsure what immediate medical facilities, if any, they will have in their area.

This has led to protests and petitions by both Kingstanding residents and politicians, akin to those that followed the decision to close Erdington’s UTC.

However, a spokesperson for the NHS added: “No decisions about the permanent location of Warren Farm Urgent Treatment Centre will be made without a full engagement process, which will provide the local community with opportunities to share their views and experiences.”

Recently elected Kingstanding Councillor Clifton Welch (Conservative) further told Erdington Local: “I have been clear that Warren Farm Urgent Care Centre must be retained long term.

“The current building has structural issues which need to be repaired, but I have already met with the local NHS with Cllr Robert Alden (Erdington, Conservative) to consider possible ways to save the services locally.”

He added: “I understand there will be a consultation later in the year and I will be doing all I can to ensure that in North Birmingham we retain the Urgent Care Centre in Kingstanding and the Walk in Centre in Erdington.”

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NEWS: Council and NHS to hold Covid Vaccine Webinar/Q&A

Words by Ed King

On Thursday 4th February, Birmingham City Council will be hosting an online Covid Vaccine Webinar/Q&A session to address questions and concerns about the Covid-19 vaccine roll outs.

People can register for a free place via the popular event ticket outlet Eventbrite: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/138628992047

Running from between 6pm and 7:30pm this Thursday, the first in the series of five citywide sessions will be focussing on North Birmingham – with local residents across Erdington invited to attend.

Hosted by Councillor Paulette Hamilton, Cabinet member for Adult Social Care and Health, Birmingham City Council will be joined by NHS staff who have been fighting coronavirus since March last year.

The online events will be a chance to hear direct from Council and NHS staff who have the latest information about the Covid-19 vaccines and the roll out process – with organisers wanting ‘local residents to ask questions, discuss and highlight their own thoughts or concerns.’

At the time of writing, there have been over 100,000 deaths in the UK from coronavirus – with the office of National Statistics counting a death toll of 178 in Erdington alone by last November.

Listed on the NHS website there are currently four GP surgeries administering Covid vaccines across Erdington, with people directly invited to get the jab in the priority order set by Government. There is also a walk-up Covid testing facility on Orphanage Road which is open to all.

Yet as vaccines are rolled out across the county, with a triage system to prioritise the millions to be treated, many people are expressing concerns about the inoculation – or are still unclear as to when, where, and how they will receive the jab.

In a recent interview, Dr Dave Sangha, Executive Chairman of the Midlands Medical Partnership, told Erdington Local: “Please be aware that the current Covid workload pressure in the local hospitals is extreme. Covid is real, please take it seriously.

“The Vaccine is safe, please have it. A lot of the social media misinformation is sad to see, it is putting people off and there’s a huge risk to that. It is safe.”

To register for a place on the Covid Vaccine Webinar/Q&A, visit www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/138628992047

For more information about the Covid vaccines, direct from the NHS, visit www.birminghamandsolihullcovidvaccine.nhs.uk

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NEWS: Erdington healthcare expanded with Urgent Treatment Centre at Stockland Green Primary Care Centre

Ed’s note… Please contact NHS 111 (it’s free to call) before attending Erdington Urgent Treatment Centre at Stockland Green Primary Care Centre, as walk-in patients cannot been seen.

Words and pics by Ed King

The new Erdingon Urgent Treatment Centre at Stockland Green Primary Care Centre (EUTC) is now open and operational, boosting much needed healthcare across the Erdington constituency.

Established to replace the Health & Wellbeing Walk-In-Centre, that operated from a shopfront site on Erdington High Street, the EUTC can see up to 100 patients per day – taking over previously unused space at the Stockland Green Primary Care Centre (SGPCC).

Despite being a well-loved and well-used facility, the previously high street based practice was not without its challenges – such as opening hours , parking, and proximity to busy licensed premises. The site was further dogged by the constant threat of closure, once in 2013 then again in 2020.

Following several campaigns to save the facility, the Walk-in-Centre finally closed it’s doors during the coronavirus crisis – but with assurances from Birmingham healthcare bosses that such a facility would remain ‘at the heart’ of the community, as called for in an open letter by MP for Erdington Jack Dromey.

The new Stockland Green Primary Care Centre based EUTC will be operational 12hrs a day, seven days a week – with a significant capacity for parking and emergency vehicles, allowing drivers to get right to the front door in desperate situations.

Next to several major bus routes, the EUTC will also offer easier access for patients using public transport from Erdington wards such as Stockland Green, Perry Common, Kingstanding, and Short Heath.

Further facilities on hand at the EUTC are three GP services, a pharmacy, and ‘a range of NHS community services.’

The NHS Birmingham and Solihull Clinical Commissioning Group (BSCCG), who manage the city’s NHS healthcare provisions, are hoping that many of the issues surrounding the old high street centre will be solved with the new facility.

Paul Jennings, Chief Executive of NHS BSCCG, said: “We welcome the opening of the relocated Erdington Urgent Treatment Centre; which will provide crucial urgent care services to local people.

“We are committed to ensuring there is suitable local healthcare provision across Birmingham and Solihull, which meets the needs of our diverse communities.”

Erdington’s Member of Parliament, Jack Dromey, is also hopeful that the new UTC will bring widespread benefits across the constituency.

Speaking to Erdington Local about the EUTC , Jack Dromey MP said: “I am delighted that the Erdington Urgent Treatment Centre has opened and is already providing a first-class service to the people of Erdington.”

“The Erdington Walk-In Centre saved countless lives, and when it closed temporarily due to COVID, many constituents contacted me with concerns over the future of our local healthcare provision. Back in August, I sought reassurances from the Birmingham and Solihull Clinical Commissioning Group that Erdington would retain such a service, and I am pleased they have delivered on that promise.” 

“The new site not only offers improved medical facilities, but the increased accessibility will hopefully mean many more Erdington residents will now access this invaluable local service.” 

“It is important for those who wish to use the service to remember to call 111 in the first instance to be referred for an appointment. The threat of COVID-19 is still very real, and we should not risk the health of others by turning up at the new Urgent Treatment Centre without an appointment.”

Local residents looking to access the EUTC, during the coronavirus crisis, have been asked to initially contact NHS 111 – to make sure everyone at the new facility can be met with COVID-19 safe environment.

For more details on how to access the Urgent Treatment Centre, visit www.birminghamandsolihullccg.nhs.uk/your-health

For more information on NHS 11 online, visit www.111.nhs.uk

For more from Jack Dromey MP, or for contact details to his constituency office, visit www.jackdromey.org

For more on the NHS Birmingham and Solihull CCG, visit www.birminghamandsolihullccg.nhs.uk

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NEWS: Erdington guaranteed an ‘urgent care service’, following push from Jack Dromey MP to keep vital healthcare ‘at the heart of Erdington.’

Words & pics by Ed King

Erdington families have been guaranteed an ‘urgent care service’ will remain open and operational, despite widespread closures of public amenities due to the coronavirus crisis.

In an open letter to Paul Jennings, the Chief Executive of NHS Birmingham and Solihull Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), MP for Erdington Jack Dromey pushed for ‘reassurance over the future of these vital local services’ – following a ‘steady stream’ of concerns from across the constituency about the future of the Erdington Walk In Centre.

Responding swiftly to the MP’s letter, which was dated 18th August, Mr Jennings gave written assurance that the NHS ‘are now in a position to reopen an urgent care service in Erdington, in the very near future.’

In his letter, Jack Dromey MP further underlined the importance that such a service ‘will remain at the heart of Erdington.’

And whilst the location of the facility, which will be called Erdington Urgent Treatment Centre (UTC), has not been confirmed by the NHS, they were able to the commit ‘it will be open seven days per week, 12 hours a day’ – mirroring the accessibility of the High Street situated Walk-In-Centre – and ‘are hopeful that the new service will be up and running in October 2020.’

Located on Erdington High Street, the Walk-In-Centre was forced to close due to Government guidelines during the COVID-19 pandemic. But the free to access facility, which fought for survival back in 2013 – again championed by Jack Dromey MP – has been the difference between life and death for some local residents.

“I’ve used the Walk-In-centre several times myself, when I’ve been unable to get doctor’s appointments,” tells Shaun Bebbington, who lives on Lindridge Road in Stockland Green. “But about three years ago my partner was quite ill… it turned out to be sepsis, but it was misdiagnosed at least once.

“She started having a fit early hours one Tuesday morning; I called an ambulance, but the paramedics also missed the symptoms of sepsis. I got a taxi, with my partner, to the Walk-In-Centre as soon as they opened – they picked up the symptoms right away, asking the right questions, and then got us straight to Good Hope Hospital, where she was for 17 nights.– had she not have had medical attention within that timeframe she would not be here today.”

Jack Dromey MP previously led the campaign to save Erdington Walk-In-Centre back in 2013, when the then David Cameron led Government were looking to close eight healthcare facilities across Birmingham and Solihull.

Seven years later and the MP is back on the frontline, fighting for ‘the future of these vital local services’ – heralding ‘the CCG for your continued constructive and open dialogue.’

But Dromey’s support for Erdington’s health and wellbeing doesn’t stop at the Walk-In-Centre, as the MP has further called for the NHS Birmingham and Solihull CCG to ‘consider Erdington as a location for any future drive-through COVID vaccination site.’

Although the location of any new testing facility is too early to confirm, the NHS Birmingham and Solihull Chief Executive did ‘welcome a further conversation with you (Jack Dromey MP) about exploring the excellent community assets you have in Erdington, to see what would be possible.

We will be working harder than ever to ensure that everyone who is eligible for a vaccination is able to have one and would very much welcome your support with this.’

Interview with Jack Dromey MP and Shaun Bebbington – outside the Erdington Walk-In-Centre

For more from Jack Dromey MP, or for contact details to his constituency office, visit www.jackdromey.org

For more on the NHS Birmingham and Solihull CCG, visit www.birminghamandsolihullccg.nhs.uk