A new urgent treatment centre (UTC) has opened at Stepping Hill hospital in Stockport, set to reduce waiting times for patients needing emergency treatment as demand for urgent care in the area continues to increase.
The centre, which treats minor illnesses and injuries, is located next to the hospital's main emergency department. It has expanded capacity with new rooms and facilities to help staff respond to rising demand.
Five new consultation rooms
The new build provides more space to assess patients, helps people get treated faster and eases pressure on the emergency department, according to Stockport NHS Foundation Trust. It was created by updating older facilities and moving non-emergency appointments elsewhere.
The centre has five new consultation rooms, allowing staff to see patients who come to A&E with minor injuries and those attending through primary care, such as GP surgeries.
Demand continues to rise
Karen James OBE, chief executive of Stockport NHS Foundation Trust, said: "Demand for emergency and urgent care in Stockport and the High Peak continues to increase, but we are responding well to this growing need with the enhanced facilities on our hospital site."
She added: "Our new urgent treatment centre is helping us to further improve our capacity and provide people with the urgent care they need."
Part of wider expansion
The new UTC follows the opening of the hospital's main emergency and urgent campus, which fully opened in May 2025. Since then, the Trust says activity in same day emergency care has also increased, helping more patients access same-day urgent care and reducing pressure on the emergency department.
Waiting times have also improved, together with faster ambulance handover performance, it added.
The opening comes after the Government announced plans in April this year to expand urgent care services across England. In Greater Manchester, this included the expansion of the UTC at Stepping Hill.
Former Health Secretary Wes Streeting told the Manchester Evening News at the time that pressures in parts of the NHS had been raised with him by MPs, pointing to the expansion of Stepping Hill as part of efforts to ease demand locally. Other plans for the North West included expanding the current Same Day Emergency Care (SDEC) at Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh, and opening a new SDEC in Alder Hey in Liverpool.
