Proposals to improve access to health services in Rutland where treatment is needed on the same day
NHS Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland Integrated Care Board consulted with patients, family carers, staff, the public and stakeholders on proposed improvements to health care services in Rutland.
This consultation has now closed.
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About the Public Consultation
The NHS in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland (LLR) is invited people to have their say on proposals to improve healthcare services in Rutland.
The proposals would improve services for people by bringing together two existing local services – the Minor Injuries Unit and the Urgent Care Centre, creating a Minor Illness Service which would be open 7 days a week in Rutland Memorial Hospital.
The public consultation and the proposal reflect what people told us they needed. It provides an opportunity for people to have their say. Full details of the public consultation can be found in the full consultation document.
The reason we need to make changes to health services in Rutland
There are lots of reasons health services need to change and improve in Rutland:
The population of Rutland is increasing
Based on the 2021 Census (done every 10 years to get a picture of all the people and households in England and Wales). Rutland’s population was 41,049. This had increased by 9.8% since 2011. By 2043, the population is expected to reach 46,510, which is a 13.3% increase from 2021, adding 5,461 people. (Source: Rutland Joint Strategic Needs Assessment 2023)
The population of Rutland is changing
In 2021, 25.3% of Rutland’s population was over the age of 65. By 2043, it is anticipated that there will be 4,710 additional older people. This is an increase of 45% from 2021. (Source: Rutland Joint Strategic Needs Assessment 2023)
Access to some services can be difficult
Rutland borders Lincolnshire, Cambridgeshire, Northamptonshire and Leicestershire. People use acute healthcare facilities in these areas, which can be difficult to access. Acute care services, for example, accident and emergency departments, provide treatment to people with short-term severe medical needs.
The way services are organised is confusing
People tell us that they find services confusing. Some services you can walk into without an appointment, but others require you to book in advance. Opening hours are often complicated and some websites contain inaccurate information. Outdated signs and the different names given to similar services also causes uncertainty.
Buildings need refurbishing to be fit for the future
Currently you have a Minor Injuries Unit which is a type of walk-in clinic service that treats minor injuries. They can treat things like suspected broken bones, injuries, cuts and bruises. There is also an Urgent Care Services which you can visit when you GP practice is closed if it is urgent. It treats conditions like cuts and minor injuries such as sprains.
Both the Minor Injuries Unit and Urgent Care Centre are in Rutland Memorial Hospital. Both facilities need modernising to make them fit to provide 21st century care.
Oakham Medical Practice, the largest GP practice in Rutland, leases its building. To meet future demand, additional space would be needed. This could be provided at Rutland Memorial Hospital, located next door.
Patients from other practices in Rutland and Stamford have moved to Empingham Medical Practice. These practices have no additional space to grow in their current buildings to accommodate more patients.
There is more demand for services provided at GP practices
Since the pandemic, demand for services, including those at GP practices, has increased. We need to do things differently to address this demand and join services together to make it easier for patients to access care. We also need to increase care and services that prevent people being admitted to hospital and help people leave hospital faster.
What changes are we proposing?
The NHS wishes to simplify, combine, and improve some existing services in Rutland by 1 April 2026.
In Rutland, the Minor Injury Service and Urgent Care Service run separately and have different opening times. We would combine these services and provide them from a refurbished facility at Rutland Memorial Hospital.
The service would operate for 8 hours every day (Monday to Sunday). Appointments would be pre-bookable via NHS 111 or your GP practice.
The proposed service would be provided by nurses, advanced nurse practitioners (nurses who have taken a Masters in clinical practice) and other clinicians who have access to and guidance from a GP. If people need it, they would be receive a prescription for medication (drugs).
The types of non-life-threatening conditions that could be treated remain unchanged and include:
- Minor dislocation
- Cuts, grazes, bites
- Minor head injury
- Eye injury
- Burns or scalds
- Wound infection
- Bone fracture
- Sore throats
- Ear infections
- Water infections
A typical appointment would include:
- Assessing specific needs of a person and the action to be taken.
- Reviewing the patient’s medical history.
- Dressing and treating a wound, if applicable.
- Referral to an X-ray (an image of the inside of your body) if required, which may be on-site.
- Referral to another service if needed.
- Providing patients with information on managing their condition.
We would like to increase access to X-ray facilities at Rutland Memorial Hospital, but currently only have money to provide this service on Wednesdays and Thursdays (as it is provided now). Providing X-ray facilities is expensive as the machine must be operated by expertly trained staff, has high energy usage, and requires maintenance to ensure quality and safety. Over time, we would assess the demand for the X-ray service from people living both inside and outside of Rutland; however, it is unlikely that the service would be expanded in the immediate future.
The Proposal at a Glance
| Service we are consulting on | How it is provided now | How we propose to provide it |
| Urgent Treatment Centre | Provided from Rutland Memorial Hospital by appointment only through NHS 111. Open 6.30 to 9pm from Monday to Friday, and 9am to 7pm on Saturday and Sunday. | Combine the two services to create a ‘Minor Illness Service’ from Rutland Memorial Hospital in refurbished facilities. Open 8 hours a day, 7 days a week. Suggested opening hours are 1 to 9pm. Accessible by appointment through NHS 111 or GP surgery. We would explore additional access to onsite X-ray facilities in the future. |
| Minor Injury Service | Provided from Rutland Memorial Hospital as a walk-in service. Open 10am to 6.30pm from Monday to Friday (excluding bank holidays). X-ray facilities are available on Wednesdays and Thursdays from 8.30am to 4.30pm. |
The benefits for people
- The number of appointments offered each year would increase from 6,785 to 7,644 as a centralised service would be more efficient to run.
- Less people would need to travel out of Rutland to receive care that would reduce the carbon footprint.
- The services would be provided in one place, with a consistent way of booking appointments and easy to remember opening times.
- The quality of care of care would improve and people would have a better experience in modernised facilties.
- Less duplication enables staff to concentrate on delivering high quality, safe and efficient care.
- Services would talk to one another and with the permission of the patient, medical records would be shared.
- Improvements would relieve pressure on accident and emergency departments.
How we propose to fund the improvements
The cost of the service would be £315,000 per year, which is the same as it is now. This would be funded through the existing annual, local NHS budget.
How people could have their say
The public consultation commenced on Monday 13 January and ended on Sunday 16 March 2025. Although, due to a technical error that resulted in the online questionnaire closing 24 hours early, it was reopened between 10.30am on Monday 17 March and 7am on Wednesday 19 March.
The local NHS wanted to know what you thought about our proposals to improve services in Rutland.
You could have told us by:
- Completing the consultation questionnaire online.
- Emailing your views to: llricb-llr.beinvolved@nhs.net
- Calling: 0116 295 7532
- Picking up a copy from a local community or public venue in Rutland
- Write to us at Freepost Plus RUEE-ZAUY-BXEG, Rutland Consultation, NHS LLR ICB, Room G30, Pen Lloyd Building, County Hall, Glenfield, Leicester, LE3 8TB
- Following our social channels: @NHS Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland @NHS_LLR
Due to the number of responses we expected to receive, we would not be able to write back to every letter, but did our best to respond to questions.
Paper questionnaires and other formats, such as easy read, were available.
Key documents
If you require more detailed information, there are a range of documents that should assist you:
Toolkit
If you are a local NHS partner, voluntary or community group wishing to support the promotion of the consultation there is a range of materials that you can use to help you do that:
What happens next?
All the feedback received from the public consultation will be independently analysed and evaluated, and a report produced. The local NHS will then reflect on what people have said.
A decision-making report will then be received at a meeting in public of the local NHS Board, and the findings from the public consultation will be considered in any decisions they make. This meeting will be promoted, to enable people to attend if they wish.
All decisions will be made public after the meeting of the NHS Board and further engagement work will commence with the people of Rutland.
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