The new urgent care service at St Albans City Hospital will be run by the organisation that provides the local NHS111 service.

Call-line provider HUC will now work with Hertfordshire and west Essex Integrated Care Board (HWEICB) to get the service up and running from October.

The integrated urgent care hub will be run by specialist nurses with support from GPs, providing same day urgent care for health concerns that need prompt attention but aren’t life threatening.

The integrated urgent care hub will work on an appointment basis with patients booked into the service through NHS111 or their GP practice. It will be open for at least nine hours a day, seven days a week and will provide access to diagnostic services including predominantly x-rays.

HUC was selected to provide the new service after a rigorous selection process by local NHS clinicians and managers with the involvement of patient representatives.

As one of the largest urgent care providers in the region they were able to give evidence of where they are delivering similar services elsewhere and show an extensive understanding of the nature of the new urgent care service.

They came top out of a strong field on quality and cost grounds and also set out plans for developing wider benefits. These include providing local employment, piloting improved support for deaf patients, mental health first aiders, patient navigators supporting people in the waiting room, and a telehealth pilot for people with chronic lung disease.

Dr Vipul Parbat, ICB urgent care clinical lead said: “We have every confidence in HUC’s ability to successfully mobilise and deliver a safe, nurse-led minor illness and injury service for local patients. We’re now focused on getting the new service up and running so that we’re providing good support to patients as we enter the busy winter period. As HUC already provide the NHS111 service, we fully expect to provide patients with a fully joined-up service.”

“We’re also looking forward to working with HUC on the implementation, and how the service can be developed further over the coming years to deliver additional benefits to our patients and communities."

Chief executive officer of HUC, David Archer, added: “HUC has a long track record of providing high-quality care for patients in Hertfordshire and the east of England and we are proud to have been awarded the contract to provide the Integrated Urgent Care Hub at St Albans Hospital. As a social enterprise, we are firmly embedded into the community and look forward to working even more closely with local healthcare professionals and GP practices as we share a passion for and commitment to the patients we jointly serve.”