Shrewsbury's winter illness centre open for third winter amid record flu cases nationally
A winter illness centre in Shropshire is opening for its third year amid the number of flu patients hitting record numbers nationally.
The Shrewsbury Winter Illness Centre at Severn Fields Medical Practice in Sundorne Road will run again after first being introduced in 2023.
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The service was created after the "awful" winter of 2022 when GP practices became “overwhelmed” with scarlet fever cases.
This winter flu cases have already rocketed nationally, with some NHS trusts hitting record numbers.
The winter illness centre will be offering same-day, face-to-face appointments for symptoms such as coughs, sore throats, fevers and earaches.
Caroline Brown, Shrewsbury Primary Care Network (PCN) chief operating officer, said: “It's GP-led, ensuring senior clinical expertise is available at all times. But most patients are seen by the experienced advanced practitioners and paramedics.
“That allows our GP practices to focus on patients with complex needs who require continuity of care.”
More than 95 per cent of patients have rated the service as good or very good, according to the NHS Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin Integrated Care Board (ICB).
“The quality of care that we provide is excellent,” said Ms Brown. “Most patients are seen within three hours of phoning their GP, and within 10 minutes of their appointment time. They really value that rapid access.”
The ICB also says that the winter illness centre has had a positive impact across local health services. In winter 2023, A&E departments saw fewer attendances for coughs and sore throats from Shrewsbury practices, bucking the usual seasonal trend.
Dr Charlotte Hart, clinical director for the Shrewsbury PCN and a local GP, was instrumental in setting up the winter illness centre after the difficulties in 2022.
“That winter was awful for patients and practices,” she said. “We needed to do something so people could be seen quickly and effectively.
“We were building a service from scratch. Finding a location, recruiting staff, deciding who we’d see and how the appointments would be booked.”
Dr Hart added: “This initiative benefits everyone in the healthcare system. Dealing with these cases in a timely way means they're not deteriorating to the stage of needing a hospital, and everyone is seen in the most appropriate place.
“We wanted patients to know about the clinic before it was offered. If your GP says ‘we can't see you, but someone else can’, you don't want to feel palmed off. We used all our social media platforms and websites to make sure that patients would understand why we were doing this, and that it was a positive, well-thought-out option.
“When I hear patients say ‘I've been there before, I'm happy to go back’, I know we've achieved what we set out to do.”
The winter illness centre is open to patients registered with Shrewsbury PCN GP practices only and is accessed via your GP surgery.
