logo
'Logical' to keep at-risk walk-in centre open

'Logical' to keep at-risk walk-in centre open

Yahoo19-05-2025

An NHS walk-in centre in Norfolk which faced being closed down or having its opening hours reduced in a bid to save as much as £1.5m a year will remain open for now.
The facility in Norwich was one of three services NHS Norfolk and Waveney Integrated Care Board (ICB) considered reviewing in a bid to save money.
Changes to its out-of-hours GP service and Vulnerable Adults Service were also explored, with patients asked for their views as part of a consultation.
Ed Garratt, interim chief executive of the ICB, said all proposals had been taken off the table and a U-turn at this stage made "logical sense".
"The strategic direction of the ICB is to increase 'neighbourhood' level services and improve access to primary care," he added.
He said the decision was in line with the government's 10-year national plan to shift resources from acute to community services, treatment to prevention and analogue to digital services.
"It therefore makes logical sense to end this consultation and take stock of plans once the 10 Year Plan has been published," he said.
The walk-in centre, at Rouen House, in Rouen Road, is used by about 72,000 people every year and previously faced closure in 2023 before a new contract was agreed.
But in March, the ICB said it was once again reviewing its future as it faced a £280m gap in its budget.
It said closing the service would free up £1.5m a year while opening only in the morning would save £750,000, with the money saved being put towards GP services.
Sadie Parker, director of primary care for the ICB, said the government's drive to address the challenges facing the NHS had encouraged them to reconsider.
She suggested the under-threat services could potentially play a key role in realising the government's goal of "developing a neighbourhood health service".
"The situation has changed and we are expecting further national guidance on this which will help inform how we plan for and provide local health services," she said.
The news of the U-turn has been welcomed by Norwich city councillor, Lucy Galvin, who sits on Norfolk's health overview and scrutiny committee.
"This was a hard-fought campaign and I am so glad to see it has resulted in this complete change of heart," she said.
"These services for the most vulnerable should never, ever have been under threat.
"I have seen first hand the patients and professionals who have been deeply concerned over the past few years. Now we need to see stable, transparent funding for these vital services."
Alex Stewart, chief executive of Healthwatch Norfolk, said he was "pleased" the services would continue to operate.
"There was a concern the loss of the walk-in centre could have had a devastating impact on A&E units.
"As of this morning we had received 3,540 responses to the consultation around the walk-in centre and GP out-of-hours service, and 207 around the vulnerable adults service," he said.
"The overwhelming majority felt the walk-in centre was a vital care safety net for those who either struggled to get an appointment from their GP or felt their condition was not serious enough for them to attend accident and emergency.
"We have no doubt today's decision will reassure the many people who responded to our survey."
Ahead of announcing the walk-in centre would no longer be closed, the ICB had encouraged residents to attend drop-in sessions at King's Lynn Town Hall on Monday, The Forum in Norwich on Tuesday, Blyburgate Hall in Beccles on Wednesday and Lowestoft Community Hub on Thursday to share their views.
These have now been cancelled.
Follow Norfolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
NHS walk-in centre faces closure or a cut in hours
Walk-in centre firm had "inadequate management"
City walk-in health centre under closure threat
NHS Norfolk and Waveney Integrated Care Board (ICB)

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Winners and losers: Who got what in the spending review?
Winners and losers: Who got what in the spending review?

Yahoo

timean hour ago

  • Yahoo

Winners and losers: Who got what in the spending review?

Chancellor Rachel Reeves has announced the government's Spending Review, which outlines the day-to-day budgets for departments over the next three years. The review will see NHS funding increase by 3% a year as well as more money for defence and housing. But other departments will see their budget cuts - including 1.7% at the Home Office, 2.7% at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), and 6.9% at the Foreign Office. Here BBC correspondents analyse how some key services have fared and what the decisions may mean for you. The education sector will see one of the largest funding boosts. There is money for England's schools - especially crumbling ones - as well as for training and upskilling. Those key takeaways are nestled among rehashed pledges like expanding free school meals and introducing free breakfast clubs. The core schools budget will rise by £2bn in real terms by 2029, the Department for Education says, but much of it will go on those previous commitments. Falling pupil numbers means the department can make some savings, but that money still has to pay for an awful lot. The government is staring down the barrel of ever-growing demand for special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) support. The Spending Review does not seem to address deficits racked up by councils supporting those children, but it does appear to have set aside around £700m to reform the system. Leaky schools on the government's rebuilding programme - many still waiting for builders - will also be wondering if a £2.4bn annual cash injection will suffice. The 3% annual real-terms increase in NHS spending announced by the chancellor will look generous to departments with low or no increases. That number covers day-to-day spending by the NHS, for example staff pay and the costs of medicines and patients care. The overall annual increase for the Department of Health is 2.8% - one of the highest departmental increases in the Spending Review - and includes other areas like medicines regulation and pandemic preparedness, as well as the NHS. It is worth pointing out that the health service needs real-term spending growth every year to cope with an increasing and ageing population alongside rising bills for medicines and new treatments. The long-term trend for annual UK health spending in recent decades has been around 3.5%. Aside from day-to-day funding there is also capital spending, which covers investment in buildings and equipment. In real-terms there will be no increase each year. The big question is whether that will be enough to enable staff to deliver more operations and procedures. One of Labour's pledges is to ensure more than 90% of patients in England start treatment within 18 weeks of referral. Currently it is less than 60%. Hitting that target is a big ask with all the other claims on spending. "We are happy bunnies" is how someone from the Department for Transport (DfT) reacted to the Spending Review. That is despite the department seeing its annual day-to-day budget decrease by 5% - the largest cut in the review. That hit is mostly down to a big drop in the subsidies the government has been paying to train companies since the Covid-19 pandemic. Capital expenditure - meaning money for long-term infrastructure investment – on transport is actually going up by 3.9%, among the highest. Long-term investment in transport infrastructure is clearly central to Labour's plan for "national renewal", so a good chunk of the chancellor's speech was devoted to various upgrades. Some we already knew about, some we didn't. They include a new Liverpool to Manchester rail line, a freeze on the £3 cap on bus fares in England until March 2027 and more than £15.6bn on new trams, trains and buses outside of London. The Conservatives say a lot of this is just rehashing of old announcements with little detail attached. The government says it will lay some meat on the bones of these plans next week in its so-called "infrastructure week". Apart from bus fares, which is a continuation of an existing policy, Reeves' plans are in keeping with the general theme of this Spending Review: ambitious but ultimately not materialising for quite some time - until the 2030s at the earliest. Seven ways the Spending Review affects you What has the chancellor has announced? The key points Watch: Where the money is being spent You could almost hear the sigh of relief from social landlords when £39bn was announced for social and affordable housing. Many had warned that without significant funding and certainty, the government would never reach its target of building 1.5 million homes over this parliament. But they've called Wednesday's announcement a "game changer". Guaranteeing how much social landlords will receive in rents over the next 10 years means that housing associations can plan how much they have to invest in building. Housing charity Shelter called the investment a "watershed moment". The charity's head of policy, Charlie Trew, said the amount was 70% more than the previous government invested but it was still not enough to end homelessness for good. The charity called for a "clear target" for exactly how many social rent homes are planned. A 2.3% real terms yearly funding increase for policing in England and Wales is slightly better than senior officers had feared, but forces are already warning of "some ruthless prioritisation", arguing that most of the money will be "swallowed up" by police pay rises. The chancellor stressed that an increase of "more than £2bn" will mean government pledges on cutting crime and increasing police numbers can be kept. On immigration, there is more money for the Border Security Command, rising to £280m extra a year, with promises of new kit including an army of drones to improve surveillance. Reeves also promised that the use of hotels for asylum seekers would end by 2029. But with overall Home Office spending being cut by 1.7% a year, there are knotted eyebrows at how this is all going to add up and be achieved while managing a sizeable squeeze to the department's budget. Just recently we were told that offenders recalled to prison would be let out earlier due to overcrowding. We know the government is planning on building three more prisons to deal with the capacity crisis. The chancellor said £7bn would be spent on that building project - that's more than we were told earlier this month, when the figure stood at £4.7bn. The increase in funding - an extra 1.8% each year is the second highest rise in the review - indicates the severity and urgency of the problem. But building more prisons will take years. Also announced was £700m to reform the probation service - that cash will fund further recruitment on top of the 1,300 officers the government had already said it will employ this year. Several probation officers welcomed the investment but raised concerns about their "increasing workload" and when the new hires will be functional. The chancellor has made full use of the extra £113bn in capital spending available as a result of changing her own borrowing rules. There are some big ticket items on the list, most of which were announced before Wednesday, but these large projects will take many years before people will notice the difference. An extra £14.2bn for the new Sizewell C nuclear plant will be spent over at least a decade. The same is true of an extra £39bn for affordable and social housing. New announcements included £10bn for making homes more energy efficient and a new carbon capture project in Scotland. Connecting people and places is also growth-enhancing, but again the £16bn on transport links outside of London will not see quick returns. Business groups are largely supportive of these ambitious plans and the chancellor will hope it persuades firms to spend some of their own money to boost business investment, which has been chronically low. They may want to see the detail of the upcoming infrastructure and industrial strategies. There is jam in here but it will take time to spread and the results will take longer than tomorrow. The chancellor announced that funding for science - or research and development (R&D) - would increase to just over £22.6 billion per year by 2029/30. That funding pays for scientific research across government departments such as health, defence and energy. That overall figure also includes the budget for the Department of Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) itself, which has been given £16bn per year and will use it to fund research for everything from drug development to materials science to AI – £2bn has been earmarked for the latter from 2026/27 to 2029/30. While the chancellor called this a "record", it is broadly in line with projected inflation. But the UK's Campaign for Science and Engineering said it was welcome confirmation that the R&D budget was being "protected in tough fiscal circumstances". Adrian Smith, President of the Royal Society, said the UK continued to lag behind competitors in the G7 on research and innovation investment. "We should be looking to lead," he added in a statement. "We must also go further to attract and retain global talent. "The UK's sky-high upfront visa costs are an unnecessary deterrent at a time when our competitors are rolling out the welcome mat for the brightest minds."

NHS doubles amount its spending on private companies
NHS doubles amount its spending on private companies

Yahoo

time3 hours ago

  • Yahoo

NHS doubles amount its spending on private companies

NHS trusts in the South West have almost doubled the amount they are spending on private companies over the past three years. A Freedom of Information (FOI) request submitted by the GMB Union showed NHS trusts across the region pay at least £151m a year to private companies. The total annual spend has almost doubled since 2021/2022. Figures also reveal that almost £64m has been spent on private ambulances in the region over the same time period. Speaking for GMB members, Mo Akbar has "demanded" an end to privatisation. A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said they remain committed to working with the independent sector to "slash elective waiting lists and give patients more choice". The outsourcing of NHS services threatens the financial viability and sustainability of the health service, union members claim. This is because the independent sector providers are not obligated to train staff, which can undermine the quality and scope of training for doctors and other healthcare professionals, union members added. Mr Akbar, an ambulance worker, argues it symbolises a decline in the quality of care for NHS patients, as private providers may prioritise profits over health. "Workers and communities should have more say in how the NHS is run, ensuring decisions focus on patient care, not financial targets," he said. "Health outcomes are tied to poverty, housing, and working conditions, so NHS rebuilding must also address these inequalities. "We demand real terms restorative pay from the 14 years of brutal austerity. "This Labour government will have a crisis of legitimacy if they choose a path of further privatisation of the NHS, which would put at risk the sense of the collectivism that is at the heart of our health service." He added that only 11 South West trusts responded to the FOI - meaning the true figure being paid to the private sector could be far higher than £151m. A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: "Through our Plan for Change, we are making good progress having already cut the waiting list by 200,000 since this government took office and delivered 3.6 million extra appointments." Follow BBC Bristol on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to us on email or via WhatsApp on 0800 313 4630. Hospital jobs to be outsourced from NHS Job losses as urgent NHS call firm collapses NHS cuts will have 'profound effect' on patients Nearly half of NHS workers looking to move jobs NHS England- South West

The best pregnancy pillows for support and comfort, tested
The best pregnancy pillows for support and comfort, tested

Yahoo

time4 hours ago

  • Yahoo

The best pregnancy pillows for support and comfort, tested

It's a cruel twist that, just when you're trying to bank some rest before the arrival of a baby, your body and brain conspire to make falling – and staying – asleep more difficult. Hormonal changes, pelvic or back pain, stress and extra bathroom trips are among the delights that can make sleep elusive for pregnant women. As your baby bump grows, general discomfort is a given. Pregnancy pillows aim to help relieve some of this discomfort by supporting key parts of the body, such as your growing baby bump, back and hips. Many are designed to encourage an optimal pregnancy sleeping position: the NHS recommends sleeping on your side after 28 weeks. That's due to research suggesting a link between falling asleep on your back and an increased risk of stillbirth – although note that the overall risk is still very low, and there's no need to worry if you wake up on your back. Just roll over and go back to sleep. *** Best pregnancy pillow overall:Bbhugme pregnancy pillow£159 at Bbhugme Best budget pregnancy pillow:Dreamgenii pregnancy, support and feeding pillow£48.99 at Ebebek Best pregnancy pillow for leg support:Snüz SnuzCurve pregnancy support pillow£84.95 at Snüz Best for temperature control:Simba extra support body pillow£109 at Simba Sleep *** My usual expertise is in technology, and I've tested all kinds of tech gadgets and AI tools in my decade or so as a tech journalist. But what really made me the perfect tester for prenatal pillows is that I was entering the third trimester of my own pregnancy as testing began – a stage I would describe as 'how is everything suddenly so uncomfortable?' Throw in a dash of persistent pregnancy insomnia, and I developed a deep personal interest in unearthing the best maternity pillows for a decent night's sleep. There are many pregnancy pillows on the market, most of which fall into a few main categories: C-shaped, U-shaped, wedge or I-shaped (which I more often found myself calling 'sausage'). I selected pillows that were popular with buyers, sparked discussion on pregnancy forums, offered unique features or simply dominated internet ads. I tested 11 in total. To test, I shamelessly cheated on my existing pillows by sleeping with each contender for at least two nights. I kept notes on firmness, support, comfort and how much bed space each pillow took up. I also noted their aesthetics, ranging from chic to orthopaedic, and their versatility. Some convert into nursing pillows after birth, which extends their usefulness and adds value. The best judge of a pregnancy pillow, of course, is a good night's sleep. I tracked mine using a smartwatch, focusing on total sleep time and time spent in deep sleep (though I took other factors into account too). *** *** £159 at Bbhugme£159 at John Lewis The Bbhugme is a flexible, microbead-filled cylinder that can be moved into an I or J shape the full length of the body, or a smaller C (useful for sitting) or U (for between the legs). It comes with a cotton jersey cover, secured at the end with plastic 'pebbles,' giving the overall impression of an oversized sausage – emphasised by the dusty pink colour of my test pillow. 'You look like you're riding a hotdog,' my husband said as I straddled it sloth-on-a-branch style. Why we love itThe revelation of the Bbhugme is the microbead filling, which gives flexibility in both its shape and firmness. It was easy to mould the pillow around me so that it supported my bump, went between my legs and kept me nestled in a comfortable side sleeping position. Despite its size, it's lightweight and pliable, making it easy to move when I shifted sides in the night. It even offered some comfort during a 1am bout of Braxton Hicks ('false labour') contractions. Its adjustability makes it a great all-rounder. I can see it being useful at all stages of pregnancy, as support needs shift, and after birth as a nursing bolster. The covers come in a range of muted tones, so the pillow can blend in with most bedroom decor. It's a shame that … at £159, the Bbhugme's comfort also comes at a hefty price – this is not a budget option. Suitable for: pregnancy and nursingShape: I-shapedSize: 140-145 x 20cmFilling material: microbeadsCover material: 95% cotton, 5% spandex jersey *** £48.99 at Ebebek£57.99 at Mamas & Papas The Dreamgenii pillow is a sort-of C-shape (G-shape, perhaps?) that curves under your bump and through your legs, as with most pillows, but also provides an attached back support, similar to a wedge. This means it offers support on both sides of your body without taking up the space of a full U-shaped pillow. Why we love itThe Dreamgenii's cotton jersey cover felt particularly soft against the skin and, although large, the pillow didn't feel too unwieldy in the bed. Its very particular shape is specifically designed for side sleeping, and it offered ample support for this, with the back wedge helping to prevent unintended rolling and keeping me in position. Despite its odd shape, the pillow does promise some versatility: after birth, Dreamgenii suggests using it for nursing too, by wrapping the leg support behind your back and using the back support to help cradle your baby. It's also reasonably priced. It's a shame that … you can't adjust the gap between the front and back pillows, which would be a nice way to support changing bump size. Because the pillow is specifically shaped for sleeping on one side, it's also cumbersome to shift position in the night. Suitable for: pregnancy Shape: C-shaped (ish)Size: 102 x 77cmFilling material: polyester hollow fibreCover material: 100% jersey cotton *** Related: The best eco-friendly baby products: 11 sustainable substitutes, from reusable nappies to wipes £84.95 at Snüz£84.95 at Amazon The innovation of this maternity pillow is its dual fillings: the upper part is a sausage-style pillow filled with polystyrene beads (à la the Bbhugme), while the lower section has a firmer foam filling. For what Snüz claims is the perfect pregnancy sleeping position, snuggle the upper part in your arms and under your bump, then place the foam part between your legs. Why we love itThe pillow's shape felt very supportive, and the mix of bead and foam fillings provided the best of both worlds. The beaded portion was comfy to cuddle and moulded nicely around my bump. Meanwhile, the lower portion did a particularly good job of keeping my legs separated and supporting me in a side-sleeping position. A bumper for the knees (Snüz calls a 'KneeBlade') helped hold it in place through the night. Keeping your legs separated can help relieve pressure from the pelvis, hips and back – so if you're experiencing pelvic girdle pain or similar discomfort, this could be a strong choice. It's a shame that … the SnuzCurve is designed to keep you in one position, so it may not be the best if you're a wriggler. It's only available with either a grey or white cover – the latter seems destined to show every mark. Suitable for: pregnancyShape: C-shaped Size: 135 x 30 x 25cmFilling material: polystyrene beads; polyurethane foamCover material: 92% cotton, 8% elastane *** £109 at Simba Sleep The unique selling point of this C-shaped pillow from mattress brand Simba is its cooling effect. The cotton cover contains the brand's Stratos 'cool-touch' technology, which aims to draw heat away from the body. The shape is a gentle curve designed to support bump, hips and knees when sleeping on your side. Why we love itThe Simba pillow absolutely delivered on its temperature-regulating promise – it stayed cool to the touch, even after a full night's sleep during a surprise spring heatwave. Given that pregnant women can be prone to hot flushes, night sweats and overall higher body temperatures, anything that can help combat overheating is a boon for night-time comfort. While fairly bulky and lacking any adjustable features, the pillow was comfortable, and the fairly firm, down-like filling offered good support, especially for the hips. It's a shame that … the cover fabric, while cooling, isn't the softest to snuggle up against, and the pillow lacks flexibility in shape and firmness. Suitable for: pregnancy and nursingShape: C-shaped Size: 120 x 35cmFilling material: combed recycled PET bottle fibresCover material: cotton with Stratos *** Related: The best gifts for new mums, picked by new mums: 25 genuinely useful ideas *** £99 at John Lewis Best for: nursing Possibly the most stylish pillow in our test, the BellaMoon comes in various organic cotton cover designs featuring trendy muted prints. It's a C-shaped pillow: you position the long section along either your front or back, then place one curved end under your head and the other between your legs. Its secret power is two hidden zips that allow the curved ends to detach and then zip together, forming a smaller, half-doughnut shape to support breastfeeding or use as support for your baby. It didn't make the final cut because … while the BellaMoon pillow is described as medium firmness, I found it too firm, particularly under my head. This also made it unwieldy to reposition during the night and created a bulky barrier in the bed. Suitable for: pregnancy and nursing; shape: C-shaped; size: 140 x 50 x 20cm; filling material: 100% polyester; cover material: 100% organic cotton *** £39.99 at Babybub Best for: small spaces The Babybub is a wedge-shaped pillow that's really more like two wedges: one to support your back and one to support your bump. It also comes with a small cylindrical pillow that can be added to the front or back as needed. Its winged design makes the Babybub much smaller than a traditional pregnancy pillow – you might even call it compact. It took a bit of fiddling with the adjustable Velcro strap to get the wedges the perfect distance apart, but this means you can reposition them as your bump grows. It didn't make the final cut because … the bamboo and polyester blend cover is slightly scratchy to the touch, and the off-white colour gets grubby easily and looks a little 'orthopaedic aid'. I was also quite nonplussed by the additional mini-pillow, which I found inevitably ended up somewhere tangled in the duvet. Suitable for: pregnancy; shape: wedge; size: 36 x 46 x 10cm; filling material: polyester and microfibre balls; cover material: bamboo and polyester blend *** £135 at Scandiborn Best for: colour options Currently dominating my Instagram feed, the Cushy Puff is another microbead-filled sausage in the style of the Bbhugme. As such, it effectively adapts to support your body where you need it. The cotton-jersey pillowcase comes in bold colours and statement stripes and simply ties off at either end – letting you adjust it for firmness by tightening or loosening the knots. It didn't make the final cut because … the tying mechanism was a bit of a faff. My pillow also gave off a slight chemical odour when first unboxed – off-putting to someone with a heightened sense of smell during pregnancy. Suitable for: pregnancy and nursing; shape: I-shaped; size: 120-150 x 25cm; filling material: EPS (expanded polystyrene) microbeads; cover material: 95% cotton, 5% spandex jersey *** £33.40 at Amazon Best for: travel A novel wearable concept, the Babymoov Dream Belt fastens around your waist with an adjustable Velcro strap so it moves with you. The stretchy jersey front panel goes over your bump, while memory foam pads sit on the hips to provide bump support when sleeping on your side. I found the belt comfortable to wear, and it stayed in place well, offering support through plenty of tossing and turning. The most compact pillow tested, this would be a good option for travel – and it comes at a reasonable price. It didn't make the final cut because … the Dream Belt offers support only around your bump, so its usefulness is limited. You could pair with another pillow (or regular cushions) to add leg and back supports. Suitable for: pregnancy; shape: belt;size: available in two body sizes, XS/S and M/XL; filling material: polyurethane memory foam; cover material: 95% cotton, 5% elastane *** *** As you can tell from the variety above, pregnancy pillows come in different shapes. Which you choose is down to personal preference and the kind of support you're looking for. Common shapes include C, U, V and wedge pillows. C-shaped pillows support your front (or back), head and legs; U-shaped pillows envelop the body and so offer support on all sides; V-shaped pillows can be used in various ways, including one leg of the V supporting your bump and the other going through your legs (like a C-shaped pillow without the head support). When choosing a shape, also consider how much bed space it requires: U-shaped pillows are typically the largest. Wedge-shaped pillows are usually smaller, wedging under bump or back, but this also limits how much of your body they support. Some pillows, such as the I-shaped pillows with microbead fillings, offer much more flexibility for you to bend them into different shapes. *** This will depend on the shape of the pillow you choose, your support needs and your sleeping position. The NHS recommends sleeping on your side after 28 weeks of pregnancy, and many pillows are designed with this in mind. Longer pillows that go along the front of your body (I, C or U shapes) are usually intended to be cuddled: place one arm and one leg under the pillow, and one on top. At the end of the day, the point of the pillow is comfort, so anything that brings relief and helps you sleep is a plus. Of course, if you're having any issues with pain or pregnancy symptoms, or are unsure if a pillow is a good idea for you, you should seek medical advice. When choosing a pregnancy pillow, you'll want to consider the type of filling (eg microbeads, hollow fibre, memory foam) and the fabric of the cover. Most pillows have removable, washable covers. You may want to choose a pillow that can double as a nursing aid to get extra value out of the product after your baby arrives; some pillows offer specific mechanisms to reshape them for this purpose. *** Victoria Turk is a technology journalist whose work has brought her into contact with the latest gadgets and gizmos for the past decade. She is expecting her first baby this summer

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store