Today, Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust (SASH) have announced plans for a new Urgent Treatment Centre (UTC) at East Surrey Hospital in Redhill.
The site already has an Emergency Department and a Same Day Emergency Care unit but is one of only a handful of trusts in the region without a co-located Urgent Treatment Centre.
The introduction of a new purpose-built Urgent Treatment Centre (UTC), and the subsequent expansion of Same Day Emergency Care (SDEC) services within the main hospital building, will be a vital part of the Trust's plans to reduce the number of patients attending the Emergency Department, reduce waiting times and the number of people needing hospital admissions - getting more patients home the same day.
The new UTC, which will sit at the front of the East Surrey site next to the Emergency Department, will create a single front door for the Trust to assess patients who attend with non-life-threatening emergencies - providing faster diagnosis, assessment and treatment in one place. With the support of newly expanded SDEC services, it will also help improve patient flow, expediate ambulance handovers, and make urgent care services in East Surrey and the surrounding areas faster, more accessible and more resilient. The new development will also ensure the Trust's urgent treatment services better fit the size and needs of its growing population.
The new capital project has been made possible thanks to an £8.6m capital investment from NHS England.
Following a successful visioning event with partners across Surrey and Sussex to agree the full scope of the new UTC services, the plans for the new two-storey building are currently at the final stage of design. Subject to approval, construction of the new UTC is expected to begin this summer, with the new service expected to open in the second half of 2027.
Karen Breen, Chief Operating Officer at the Trust said:
"We are really excited about this new investment into our urgent care services and, in line with the wider NHS 10-year plan to expand same day emergency care services, it’s going to be a fantastic way to improve patient experience and for our growing communities to access the treatment they need as quickly as possible.
"As well as helping to relieve pressure on our main Emergency Department, which will continue to treat those with life-threatening illnesses and injuries, the new building will also support us to free up space in the main hospital for an expanded Same Day Emergency Care service, which will reduce waiting times and ensure patients don't have to spend a night in hospital unnecessarily."