New Urgent Treatment Centre to take pressure off Ipswich A&E

Plans are underway for a new Urgent Treatment Centre at Ipswich hospital, a year on from its merger with Colchester Hospital.

The organisation was given almost £70m to support the merger and fund future infrastructure projects.

It's hoped the new centre will transform and improve services for patients while easing pressure on the Emergency Department.

Work is already taking place at Colchester Hospital to modernise the main entrance Credit: ITV Anglia

Nick Hulme, chief executive of East Suffolk and North Essex Foundation Trust, says he is pleased with how both hospitals are working together and in the last twelve months waiting times and overall patient experience has improved.

The two hospitals merged one year ago and between them employ 10,000 staff who look after more than 800,000 residents.

The Trust is also planning to build a single orthopaedic elective care centre, located either at Colchester or Ipswich hospital. Credit: ITV Anglia