Construction work has started on a new urgent and emergency care centre at Arrowe Park Hospital.

Tilbury Douglas has begun work on the £28m facility for Wirral University Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust.

It has been designed to create a more-efficient patient flow, with those attending either the emergency department or the urgent treatment centre entering through a single point.

Janelle Holmes, trust chief executive, explained: “The new facility will completely transform Wirral’s only emergency department and also the provision of urgent care for local people. 

“This is the biggest investment at Arrowe Park Hospital since it was built over 40 years ago and shows our commitment to enhancing the care we provide to those who are in most urgent need.” 

Due to open next year, the unit has been design by Day Architectural to improve use of space and enable social distancing and better access for ambulances.

It will also align with the NHS Long Term plan to provide a 24-hour collaborative urgent care service, enabling rapid assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of patients so people with certain conditions can return home on the same day.

Dr Nikki Stevenson, the trust’s medical director and deputy chief executive, said: “Our aim is to continuously provide the best care we can for our patients and this new facility will help us to do that.

“We are very excited about the development, which will create a much-simpler process and a better patient journey for those who visit our emergency department or urgent care facilities.”