Healthwatch Birmingham and Solihull heard from over 1,000 people about their experiences of Urgent Treatment Centres (UTCs).
We partnered with the Birmingham and Solihull Integrated Care Board (ICB) to support their review of UTCs, and your feedback is already making a difference. Our findings are shaping how urgent care will be delivered in the future by directly informing the ICB’s review and upcoming consultation.
People told us that UTCs are a valued service, but the process of getting care can often be confusing, time-consuming, and inconsistent. By highlighting these barriers, our report is ensuring they are now being directly addressed in the ICB’s strategic review.
What works well
• Many people praised the care and treatment they received once inside a UTC.
• Convenience and proximity are key reasons people choose to use them.
• Some staff were described as professional, kind and supportive.
What needs to improve
• Booking systems are complicated and often lead to long waits.
• People are unclear what UTCs can treat.
• Services and facilities vary across different centres.
• Some patients are expected to travel long distances, even past their local A&E.
• People want the option to walk in, not only pre-book appointments.
We’ve shared these findings with the ICB, who confirmed they are already feeding into their work on the future UTC model.
They told us:
The feedback from Healthwatch Birmingham and Healthwatch Solihull has been extremely valuable in informing our strategic review of Urgent Treatment Centres (UTCs). We have been engaging with patients and the public to help develop potential options for the future model of UTC provision.
A formal public consultation process will take place in winter 2025, which will provide the public with an opportunity to have their say on the future provision of UTCs.
To make people come and get Treated and seen quick by helpful Staff
We need a list and their addresses of urgent care centres in Birmingham.
Not many people know about it.
Having read this message, agree that UTC are a very good idea in general. I also think that appointments should be readily available WITH the option of “walk ins”. Not everyone has access to an online system, especially some elderly people or like myself, not always understand the process of booking online.