Accident and Emergency Departments: Rugby
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will make an assessment of the the adequacy of urgent and emergency care services arising from Rugby and University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust.
Answered by Department of Health and Social Care
The Government is committed to ensuring patients in Rugby have access to timely, high-quality urgent and emergency care services. The Coventry and Warwickshire Integrated Care Board (ICB) is developing and delivering an Integrated Urgent and Emergency Care programme to improve access to care closer to home, reduce avoidable pressure on hospital services, and provide more joined-up care.
Improvements have already been made at Rugby Urgent Treatment Centre (UTC), including access to general practice (GP) support outside normal practice hours where clinically appropriate. This is helping more patients receive care locally without needing to attend an emergency department.
The ICB is now progressing the next phase of its programme, which will develop an integrated urgent care model to strengthen UTC provision, including evening and weekend services, and establish a single point of access for healthcare professionals to help patients access the most appropriate care.
The new model will also ensure UTCs meet national standards, including provision for patients of all ages and access to GP-led care. The new model is anticipated to be in place by autumn 2027. In the meantime, the ICB will continue to support improvements at Rugby UTC and maximise the use of available GP out-of-hours appointments at Rugby St Cross Hospital.
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