Are nurses as cost effective as doctors in urgent care centres UK - Essay Example

Most hospitals and other medical facilities in London and elsewhere across the country have successfully commissioned or are on the verge of commissioning service models related to urgent care centers, especially at the frontage of the emergency departments. In particular, the urgent care centers provide appropriate response to patients with minor injuries and illnesses that do not require specialized or intensive care. In addition, urgent care centers foster greater integration between urgent services delivered in communities and care services provided in hospitals.

Incidentally, most primary care practitioners have stronger links with community services thus enhancing rapid and seamless transfer of patients to relevant pathways (Healthcare for London 2010, p. 29). These care centers have also facilitated integration of the provisions of emergency and urgent care. Virtually all the studies indicated that nurse practitioners provide quality medical care services at comparatively lower costs, as well as provide more disease prevention counseling, health promotion activities, health education, and successfully achieve higher levels of patient satisfaction than doctors.

According to the National Institute for Health Research (March, 2014), the effectiveness of nurses or nurse practitioners would only be compared with that of junior doctors in relation to treating of patients with minor injuries in urgent care centers and emergency department settings (National Institute for Health Research 2014, p. 5). However, the study offered limited evidence that could prove that nurses reduced the waiting time for patients during assessment or even treatment, as well as patients’ overall length of stay in urgent care centers and emergency departments in entirety.

In addition, the study revealed that most patients were satisfied with the nurse practitioner’s high levels of acceptance