An urgent treatment centre is set to open at Salisbury District Hospital in autumn, which will provide an alternative to accident and emergency services for conditions such as minor injuries and illnesses.
Urgent treatment centres expand access to timely care for patients with urgent but non-life-threatening health needs.
"This new Urgent Treatment Centre…will make it easier for people with urgent health needs to be seen quickly, while also allowing our Emergency Department teams to focus on those who are most unwell,” said Nick Johnson, Managing Director at Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust.
UTCs are already established across the BSW Hospitals Group, including at Royal United Hospitals Bath and Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.
These centres have demonstrated clear benefits in improving patient flow, reducing waiting times for emergency services and enabling A&E departments to focus on the most serious and life-threatening cases.
The Care Quality Commission released an Urgent and Emergency Care Survey in 2024, which showed that people are having poor experiences of A&E services, while urgent treatment centre patients generally reported more positively.
Once operational, the new centre will form part of the hospital’s wider urgent and emergency care pathway, supporting more efficient use of clinical resources and improving the overall patient experience.