Forth Valley Royal Hospital has opened a new urgent care centre in hopes of caring for more patients quicker and keeping more people safe.

This new centre is for those who need care urgently for a non-life-threatening condition. Any life-threatening injuries or illnesses should still be reported to 999. The care facility is currently in a soft open now after it officially opened earlier this year, however, there is no set date for when it will move out of a soft open, due to being a service in development.

The feedback for this new service has been very positive and will hopefully remain so after the soft open.

Lindsey Kaney, a nurse for the NHS, said: “It’s been an absolute pleasure to work in, and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed working there.”

Enjoying the new place of work, Lindsey even went as far as to help raise funds for the new department for Christmas decorations. Managing to raise a total of £285 through donations, it’s no doubt the department will be looking nice and festive.

One of the decorations in the care facility

Lindsey said that while at the moment, there is no clear need to raise funds in the future, she “would raise funds for either the patient or staff environment” if necessary.

The urgent care unit takes great care in making the patient the centre focus.

“I feel like I can nurse in the way I like to nurse – to my patient’s best needs,” said Lindsey, “… instead of the traditional conveyor belt that’s sometimes perceived in other areas that are quite busy.”

Patients getting the attention and care they need is especially important in urgent care, as while it may not be as serious an injury as a 999 call, such illnesses and injuries can cause a great amount of anxiety. It helps to know you are in safe hands with a caring and determined team.

Lindsey said: “I’m working with a great team at the moment, there’s a lot of enthusiasm. It's been fantastic to work in,”

While many other hospitals have such a department, this urgent care unit is still relevantly new for the Forth Valley Royal Hospital, only launching its soft open in April this year.

Lindsey has been working there since launch and said: “It’s quite exciting to be in a new department and see how it’s been since day one.”

“We’re about to expand – it's looking really good,” said Lindsey.

The care unit is, currently, a medical model, but with these expansions, it will also include surgical, frailty and more.

With the hard work and care that is being put into this service, it is sure to pay off, and I am sure the patients will agree.

Urgent Care Raises Funds (and Spirits) for Christmas