New Urgent Treatment Centre opening tomorrow at Derriford Hospital

A new Urgent Treatment Centre (UTC) will open at Derriford Hospital tomorrow (3 September).

The centre is based in the new Dartmoor Building, opposite the multi-storey car park, Costa Coffee and Boots chemist.

It will be open every day from 8am to 8pm and is available for patients of all ages.

The UTC is designed to help people who need medical attention quickly but who do not need to attend the main Emergency Department.

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Doctors and nurses will be able to treat a wide range of problems, including limb fractures, sprains and strains, minor head injuries, scalds and burns, bites and stings, cuts, infected wounds and foreign bodies in the eye.

The service adds to the treatment already offered at the Cumberland Centre in Devonport and the Minor Injury Units in Tavistock and Kingsbridge, giving patients across Plymouth and surrounding areas more choice and shorter waiting times.

There will be 14 drop-off spaces and two disabled bays outside the Dartmoor Building, each with a 30-minute limit.

For longer visits, patients and visitors are advised to use the nearby multi-storey car park.

Health leaders say the new centre is an important step in making sure people in Plymouth and wider Devon can get the care they need, closer to home.

It is hoped the UTC will also help ease pressure on Derriford’s busy Emergency Department, while giving patients faster access to the right treatment.