A NEW Urgent Treatment Centre (UTC) has officially opened at Derriford Hospital, providing patients in North and East Cornwall with improved access to fast and reliable care for minor illnesses and injuries.

The centre, based in the modern, three-storey Dartmoor Building, will operate daily from 8am to 8pm. It is open to patients of all ages and, importantly, no appointment is necessary.

The UTC is designed to treat conditions that are not life-threatening but still require urgent medical attention, helping to ensure people can be seen promptly without facing long waits in the Emergency Department.

Dr Anne Hicks, consultant in emergency medicine, said the development will make a real difference for patients and staff alike.

“The new Urgent Treatment Centre will give patients a choice of where to visit when they have a minor illness or injury,” she explained. “This increased capacity in the local area will ease the pressure on our Emergency Department, enabling emergency medicine specialists to focus on those patients who are seriously unwell.”

The UTC offers walk-in treatment for a wide range of common conditions, including:

For residents in Cornwall, particularly those in rural areas, this means quicker access to care without the need to travel as far or wait as long for treatment.

Located opposite the hospital’s multi-storey car park, the Dartmoor Building is easy to find. It has 14 short-stay drop-off spaces and two disabled bays for convenience, with longer parking available in the multi-storey.

For Cornish patients, who often rely on Derriford Hospital for emergency and specialist care, the extra facility will help reduce pressure on existing services and shorten waiting times.

The new centre is expected to have a particularly positive impact on people in North and East Cornwall, where journeys to healthcare facilities can be long and stressful. Having an additional walk-in option at Derriford gives residents peace of mind, knowing they can access prompt care for non-life-threatening issues without overburdening the Emergency Department.

Local healthcare leaders believe the UTC will improve patient flow across the region and allow those with more serious or life-threatening conditions to be treated more quickly.

The opening of the UTC is just the first step in a series of improvements planned for Derriford Hospital. The Dartmoor Building will soon also house the Fracture Clinic, Main Outpatients and Pre-operative Assessment services. Looking further ahead, Derriford will benefit from a new Emergency Care Building, expected to open in 2028 as part of the national Future Hospital Programme.

John Stephens, director of infrastructure strategy and site services, called the opening an important milestone.

He said: “The opening of our new Urgent Treatment Centre marks an important milestone in the continued transformation of Urgent and Emergency Care. It forms part of a broader programme of healthcare developments at Derriford and beyond, designed to deliver state-of-the-art facilities for the people of Plymouth and the wider South West.”