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Urgent Treatment Centre (UTC) Review – What We Found and What Happens Next
What is this about?
NHS Kent and Medway wanted to understand how people feel about using Urgent Treatment Centres (UTCs) in East Kent. UTCs help people get care quickly and take pressure off hospital A&E departments.
We asked patients, staff, local communities and groups to tell us what’s working well and what could be better.
Key Findings – What People Told Us
Most people were happy with the care they received at UTCs.
Here are the main things people liked:
Quick care: Many said they were seen quickly and didn’t have to wait long.
Kind and professional staff: Patients said staff were friendly, helpful, and caring.
Convenient: UTCs are easier to get to than A&E, and helpful when GP appointments aren’t available.
Good organisation: People liked how the service was run and said they were kept updated about wait times.
What Could Be Better
Some people said a few things could improve:
More seating in waiting areas during busy times.
Better signs and directions to help find the entrance and check-in desk.
On-site X-ray services that are open for longer, this would help avoid going to hospital.
Improved waiting areas more comfort and better access to drinking water.
Clearer information about waiting times.
Who Took Part?
1,866 people completed the survey
Most were aged 55 and over
75% were women
Most lived in Swale, Canterbury or Dover
What Happens Next?
The feedback will help NHS Kent and Medway:
Make care even better and easier to access for everyone who uses UTCs
Improve services and facilities based on what people told us
Feed into the wider review of all Urgent Treatment Centre (UTC) services across East Kent this means your feedback will help shape how UTCs are planned and delivered in the future
Urgent Treatment Centre (UTC) Review – What We Found and What Happens Next
What is this about?
NHS Kent and Medway wanted to understand how people feel about using Urgent Treatment Centres (UTCs) in East Kent. UTCs help people get care quickly and take pressure off hospital A&E departments.
We asked patients, staff, local communities and groups to tell us what’s working well and what could be better.
Key Findings – What People Told Us
Most people were happy with the care they received at UTCs.
Here are the main things people liked:
Quick care: Many said they were seen quickly and didn’t have to wait long.
Kind and professional staff: Patients said staff were friendly, helpful, and caring.
Convenient: UTCs are easier to get to than A&E, and helpful when GP appointments aren’t available.
Good organisation: People liked how the service was run and said they were kept updated about wait times.
What Could Be Better
Some people said a few things could improve:
More seating in waiting areas during busy times.
Better signs and directions to help find the entrance and check-in desk.
On-site X-ray services that are open for longer, this would help avoid going to hospital.
Improved waiting areas more comfort and better access to drinking water.
Clearer information about waiting times.
Who Took Part?
1,866 people completed the survey
Most were aged 55 and over
75% were women
Most lived in Swale, Canterbury or Dover
What Happens Next?
The feedback will help NHS Kent and Medway:
Make care even better and easier to access for everyone who uses UTCs
Improve services and facilities based on what people told us
Feed into the wider review of all Urgent Treatment Centre (UTC) services across East Kent this means your feedback will help shape how UTCs are planned and delivered in the future
The utc at royal vic is awful. I have been waiting for nearly 5 hours with a concussion, the reception staff at the hospital are rude and lacking in compassion. No communication, no understanding of what the hell is the hold up. I have watched numerous people who have waited less time than me go in before me, while the receptionist lies to my face and says you are next. I’m in excruciating pain, have a head injury and not even the most basic of decency or humanity is afforded to me. Disgusting. The nhs is in real trouble.
I have just completed the survey, but felt that it didn't go far enough to cover the remarkable experience I had at the UTC at the William Harvey Hospital in Ashford.
After a fall I called NHS 111 and after a somewhat frustrating conversation they arranged an ambulance to take me to the Urgent Treatment Centre.
Once there, to say that I found the experience remarkable would be a serious understatement.
From the time I arrived, care, compassion and efficiency were the order of the day. The wounds I had sustained to my left hand were cleaned and dressed expertly... Continue reading
I used the Faversham service and found it to be a well run and efficient experience. I felt listened to and well cared for. In comparison to A&E it is night and day I'm afraid, If appropriate it will be my default urgent care destination.
Due to kidney problems, I have visited a UTC a few times since October 2024 and mostly been very impressed with the service. Rather than spending hours in A&E (7.5 in the QEQM in 2022!), although busy, the UTC I went to quickly moved through the patients and I was seen faster by a very professional team and given the help I needed.
Person who attended to me was not helpful, could not wait to get me out the door, not helpful at all, told me to go back keep trying to see my GP even though I told her I came there because I’m desperate and could not get an appointment at my local GP, she told me it is the same for everyone, people make appointments they don’t need and I told her I need to be seen something is wrong I can’t sleep, can’t think properly and have been depressed in the past and feel I can’t cope during the... Continue reading
My family and I have used the UTC a number of times over the last 20 years. It has helped my son when, as a baby, he had a bad cold, my father when he hurt his eye and my mum when she hurt her leg. Without it my parents would have faced a long drive. My elderly father now lives alone and knowing that the UTC is his town is reassuring that he’ll, should he require it, is close by
This is a wonderful service. The staff are so knowledgeable and always professional. They care about the patients and they are a credit to the NHS. They have also taken off the pressure from GP surgeries and early hospital discharges. People come away feeling that they have been given time and wonderful care. I have found that the public are often unaware of the variety of treatments they provide and head off to A&E unnecessarily. May they go from strength to strength.
