A GP-led urgent care service at Rugby's Hospital of St Cross is due in 2027, with a doctor there 24/7 and care for under-fives. The NHS is choosing a provider.

Rugby’s urgent treatment centre at the Hospital of St Cross is due to become a GP-led service, with a doctor on site around the clock and care for children under five. The NHS body that buys local health services is now choosing who will run it. The new service is expected to start in 2027.

The plan comes from NHS Coventry and Warwickshire Integrated Care Board (ICB), which covers the whole county and Coventry. It has published the outline on its urgent and emergency care programme page. Rugby Borough Council welcomed it in a news release on 19 October.

What changes at St Cross

The ICB’s page says the proposed model for Rugby provides:

  • a doctor or GP on site 24 hours a day, seven days a week at Rugby Urgent Treatment Centre
  • services for all ages, including children under two
  • treatment and prescribing on site
  • face-to-face and video appointments, as part of one joined-up system with NHS 111 and GP out-of-hours care

The council’s release describes the same service as GP-led urgent care, GP out-of-hours appointments and care for children aged five and under.

How that compares with today

The urgent treatment centre is already open 24 hours a day. But it sees adults and children aged five and over only, according to the ICB’s winter guidance for Rugby. Patients are assessed by a nurse. Doctor appointments are offered only outside normal GP surgery hours: evenings, weekends and bank holidays. X-ray runs from 9am to 10pm.

So the two real changes are a doctor available at all hours, and a service for babies and under-fives, who cannot be seen there now.

When it will happen

The two public bodies word the timetable slightly differently.

  • The ICB says “the procurement process is now under way, with the new service expected to be ready to launch by autumn 2027”.
  • The council says the ICB plans to begin appointing a provider “in the coming weeks”, and that the service is expected to begin later in 2027. That depends on the procurement and the time needed to set the service up.

In the meantime, the council says the ICB will work with the current GP out-of-hours provider to make more appointments available at St Cross. No number of extra appointments has been published.

Why Rugby got it

The ICB ran a survey on urgent care and received 172 responses. Its page sets out what it heard about Rugby in particular:

  • people wanted more conditions assessed and treated locally, rather than travelling to A&E, and that was “particularly important in Rugby, Stratford-upon-Avon and rural communities”
  • responses called for doctor-led urgent care in Rugby, better access for children, prescribing and treatment for a wider range of conditions

The council’s release credits Rugby Place, Rugby Healthcare Forum, the Save St Cross Group and other local partners with keeping up the case. Councillor Maggie O’Rourke, portfolio holder for partnerships, health and wellbeing, pointed to the council’s citizens’ assembly: “Our citizens’ assembly and the work of local campaigners provided clear evidence of Rugby’s need for doctor-led urgent care.”

The council leader, Councillor Louise Robinson, called it “welcome progress for Rugby residents”. The deputy leader, Councillor Jerry Roodhouse, said: “Residents should not have to travel to Coventry when the care they need can be provided safely in Rugby.”

Other changes planned

The council’s release also says integrated neighbourhood teams will bring together GP practices, community services and other health professionals. They will focus on preventing ill health, helping people avoid hospital stays, supporting older and frail residents, and improving care at the end of life. No start date is given for them.

What it means for you

  • Nothing changes yet. Until the new service opens, Rugby Urgent Treatment Centre sees adults and children aged five and over, 24 hours a day. You can walk in or call NHS 111 first.
  • For a child under five, the urgent treatment centre cannot help at present. Call NHS 111 or your GP. In an emergency, call 999 or go to A&E.
  • Who runs the new service will not be known until the procurement finishes. We will report the outcome, the start date and the opening model when the ICB publishes them.

The ICB said it will keep people informed about how to access urgent care while the new service is set up. Its Rugby page carries its local updates.