Simon Dodds MA, MS, FRCS, Alan MacDonald BSc (Hons), Fay Wilson MBChB, FRCGP, and Terry Young PhD, FBCS, describe the sophisticated planning and work that went into the development of a ‘new generation’ drive-through clinic. Piloted in Birmingham during the pandemic, it allowed patients to simply drive in to see a doctor when conventional appointments were hard to get. The team believes that in future the same model can be used for diagnostics, minor procedures, and to support people with a range of long-term conditions.
On 21st October last year, the local ITV news channel, ITV Central News, reported on a new way for patients who would normally visit their doctor’s surgery, or another primary care facility, to get checked out – a ‘drive-through’ clinic in Aston in Birmingham. Andy Street, Lord Mayor of the West Midlands, turned up to cut the ribbon, and this piece of news between COVID waves was positioned as a way to break the deadloc
