03/09/2025
Hopefully this new treatment centre will relieve the pressures in the Emergency Department. Take a look at what they can do!
A new Urgent Treatment Centre (UTC) has today opened its doors to patients at Derriford Hospital. Located in the brand-new, three-storey Dartmoor Building, the UTC will be open daily from 8am to 8pm, for patients of any age.
Urgent Treatment Centres are walk-in facilities and are available to treat injuries and illness which are not life-threatening but still require urgent treatment. The new UTC will provide treatment in addition to the Cumberland Centre in Devonport and Minor Injury Units in Tavistock and Kingsbridge.
Dr Anne Hicks, Consultant in Emergency Medicine, said: “The new Urgent Treatment Centre will give patients a choice of where to visit when they have a minor illness or injury. 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.”
You should visit the UTC if you have an injury which is not life threatening, but still requires urgent treatment such as:
• Limb fractures
• Minor illness
• Sprains and strains
• Minor head injuries
• Minor scalds and burns
• Bites and stings
• Foreign body in eyes
• Infected wounds and cuts
You do not need to pre-book an appointment, just drop-in to the centre during opening times. There are 14 drop-off spaces and 2 disabled parking spaces, each with a 30-minute limit. For longer stays, the multi-storey car park is available. The Dartmoor building is located at the top of the hospital site, opposite the multi-storey, Costa Coffee and Boots chemist.
The Dartmoor Building, which houses the new UTC, will shortly also become home to other key hospital services such as the Fracture Clinic, Main Outpatients and Pre-operative assessment.
Derriford is also due to benefit from a new, state-of-the-art Emergency Care Building estimated to open in 2028. It’s part of the Future Hospital Programme, which aims to transform how care is delivered and improve lives across Plymouth, Devon and Cornwall through investment in the most up-to-date healthcare environment.
John Stephens, Director of Infrastructure Strategy & Site Services 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.”
You can find our more on our website: https://bit.ly/DerrifordNewUTC
