SaHF DMBC Volume 1 Edition 1.1.pdf - Shaping a healthier future

Conditions suitable for UCC Clinical exclusions (adults) Clinical exclusions (children)
general anaesthesia
o minor ENT/ophthalmic
procedures
There will be no lower or
upper age limit for UCC
patients
8.16. Diagnostic scope
Only urgent diagnostic action will be initiated by urgent care centre clinicians. It is therefore
not anticipated that the level of diagnostics provided will exceed that provided in a standard
GP surgery, other than the additional diagnostics that may be required for minor injuries (e.g.
X-ray).
Urgent care centre patients may require access to diagnostics where this would contribute to
a decision regarding the patient‟s immediate treatment or referral. It is therefore
recommended that, with the exception of tests requested as part of an onward referral to a
specialist clinic, all test results should be available within one hour.
The E&UC CIG recommends that the following investigations and diagnostics are available
to UCC clinicians (Figure 8.24):
Figure 8.24: Recommended urgent care centre diagnostics
Diagnostic area
Diagnostic tests available to UCC
Electrocardiogram (ECG)
Haematology
Biochemistry
Microbiology
Radiology (X-ray)
Ophthalmology
ECG
Full blood count
D-Dimer
Blood Glucose
Pregnancy Test
Urine
Stool
Throat, wound swabs etc.
Plain film for limbs and chest
Slit lamp
In addition, the urgent care centre should have the ability to book other diagnostic tests as part of
specific onward referral pathways (for example, DVT ultrasound).
8.17. Non co-located urgent care centres
Implementation of Shaping a healthier future would result in some urgent care centres
operating from local, specialist and elective hospital sites. The fact that these urgent care
centres will not be physically co-located with emergency departments has a number of
implications for the shape of the services they will be able to offer, not least with regard to
patient transfer, access to specialist opinion and calculations of clinical risk.
The E&UC CIG has considered the implications of commissioning non co-located urgent
care centres carefully, and has developed a set of recommendations articulating how non
co-located urgent care centres should differ from those that share a site with an emergency
department.
8d. Urgent care centres 255