You are being asked for your views on the future of urgent care in Dudley borough.  Urgent care is for people who need medical help or advice very quickly, it is not emergency care which is for people who must get help or go to the hospital right away.

Dudley Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) which is made up of all 49 GP practices is holding a consultation to share their vision for the future.  This will end on December 24th and we want as many people as possible who access local services to share their views.

50,000 people use the Dudley borough Walk in Centre every year so it is essential that any change to this service is of benefit to our communities.

Evidence shows that patients’ health is best placed with GPs who have their medical records and history.  Opening hours and appointment systems have to reflect peoples’ circumstances, so if the Walk in Centre is being used because they can’t access their local practice we want to know.

The urgent care consultation also covers accident & emergency, ambulance and the NHS 111 service, so this is an important time for the planning and delivery of health services in Dudley borough.  As change happens it is essential that the views and experiences of local people are taken into account .  We want to hear these voices and are encouraging people to get in touch with us and also to get involved with the public consultation to have their say.

You can find out more information about the Dudley Clinical Commissioning Group public consultation here.

If you would like to get in touch with Healthwatch Dudley directly, you can share your views here or call our helpline on 03000 111 001.