New Urgent Treatment Centre for Royal Stoke Hospital to Combat A&E Pressure

Royal Stoke Hospital, part of University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust (UHNM) is set to receive a new Urgent Treatment Centre (UTC) as part of a major national drive to reduce corridor care and improve patient experience across the NHS.

The new UTC will provide rapid assessment and treatment for patients with urgent but non lifethreatening conditions, helping ensure people are treated in the right place and easing pressure on the busy Accident and Emergency department at Royal Stoke University Hospital.

The investment forms part of a £215.5 million government programme to deliver 40 new and expanded urgent care and same day emergency care services across England. The expansion is a part of wider plans to end corridor care by the end of this Parliament by improving patient flow, speeding up assessments, and reducing unnecessary hospital admissions.

Urgent Treatment Centres treat conditions such as minor injuries, sprains, infections and cuts, with walkin and same day access available for patients who do not need full A&E care. By creating additional frontline capacity, the new UTC at Royal Stoke will help reduce waiting times, improve dignity for patients, and ensure emergency departments can focus on the most serious cases.

The move sits alongside targeted support for NHS trusts facing the highest levels of corridor care, with specialist clinical teams working directly with hospital leadership to improve discharge processes, forecasting of demand, and senior clinical decisionmaking.

Gareth Snell said:

“For too long, corridor care has been a normalised part our NHS. New urgent treatment centres like this one at Royal Stoke will help ensure patients are seen faster, in the right setting, and with the dignity they deserve.

“Royal Stoke’s A&E is a Major Trauma Centre, so tackling corridor queues here won’t just improve care locally – it will have a ripple effect across the entire region. This government investment, combined with the trust’s renewed focus on cutting ambulance waiting times, is a decisive step towards restoring dignity, reducing delays, and delivering a far better experience for patients when they need urgent care most”

The new UTC will strengthen urgent and emergency care provision across North Staffordshire and surrounding areas, supporting both patients and NHS staff, and helping build a more resilient system ahead of future winters.

Some new urgent care services are expected to open later this year, further boosting NHS capacity and improving access to care for local communities.