GP appointments: New same day GP hubs offering same day care for Calderdale kids with sore throats, asthma, stomach ache and more
Children in Calderdale suffering from a range of medical conditions can now get same day care at five new GP hubs across the borough.
Pennine GP Alliance (PGPA) is expanding urgent same-day care this winter with the launch of the hubs which are specifically designed to support children.
It says the hubs will provide fast, safe, same-day assessment and treatment for children with acute symptoms, aiming to give families reassurance and quick access to care close to home.
Each of Calderdale’s five Primary Care Networks (PCNs) will host one hub which will operate out of a GP practice Monday to Friday, from noon to 6pm, from December 1 until April 24.
The hubs will deal with coughs, sore throats and earaches; mild rashes (with no fever and no meningitis symptoms) or eczema flares; abdominal pain (mild, no fever) and mild vomiting or diarrhoea; mild asthma exacerbation; urine infections; and other general unwellness.
Appointments for the hub will be made through GP practices.
The new hubs for children will also use rapid point of care testing to support clinical decision-making for respiratory symptoms.
The simple finger-prick blood test helps clinicians determine within minutes whether a respiratory illness is likely to be viral or bacterial, enabling safe, evidence-based treatment and helping to reduce unnecessary antibiotic use.
Will Menzies, PGPA's chief executive, said: “This is an important step forward for primary care in Calderdale.
"By introducing dedicated same day children’s hubs, complete with point of care testing, we’re giving clinicians the tools to make quicker, more confident decisions and providing reassurance for parents and carers who are understandably concerned when their child becomes unwell.
"It’s also the first PGPA-led initiative focused specifically on children, and we’re proud to be delivering something that will make such a difference to local families.”
The emergency department at Calderdale Royal Hospital will also be able to book children into the hubs if they present at A&E with appropriate symptoms, helping to reduce waiting times.
Helen Rees, director of operations for medicine at Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust, said: “Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust fully supports this initiative, which complements our own same day emergency Care services.
"Together, these measures will help alleviate pressure on A&E departments and reduce avoidable hospital admissions, ensuring patients receive timely, high-quality care closer to home.”