Funding for a £12m Urgent Treatment Centre has been announced to help ease A&E pressures in Cumbria

The new unit will create 12 new clinic rooms with a separate waiting area for children and adults. Credit: ITV Border.

A consultant in Cumbria says the new £12m urgent treatment facility will 'make a real difference' after an A&E department had to deal with more than double the number of patients it is designed to treat.

Funding for a new treatment centre at the Cumberland Infirmary hospital in Carlisle has been approved - it is expected to be open to the public by the end of 2025.

The current Accident and Emergency department holds a capacity of 30,000 attendances every year. However, A&E experienced more than 78,000 recorded visits last year.

North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS say this is part of a long-term plan to improve access to emergency care services, which will also ease department pressures in Carlisle.

The new unit will create 12 new clinic rooms with a separate waiting area for children and adults.

The Urgent Treatment Centre will be built next to the existing emergency department. Patients will enter the same route and be directed to the correct service when they are assessed for their needs.

The facility is expected to be open to patients by the end of 2025. Credit: North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust.

Dr Mike Rickards, from Emergency Medicine at North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust, says the new facility will 'make a real difference' to patients across Cumbria.

He said: “Opening the UTC will help ensure patients are seen in the right place at the right time by the correct clinician.

"The centre will also provide great support to the main Emergency Department by freeing up capacity for patients who are acutely unwell.

 “We know our patients want as smooth a journey as possible when receiving treatment and urgent care services help ensure this is the case.

 “The centres will also help keep our emergency care departments free for what they are there for – emergencies.”

Cumbria Health, who provide out of hours GP services, will also be located within the new facility. They are currently situated on the ground floor of the Cumberland Infirmary, to help free up space.

Works to build the new Urgent Treatment Facility will begin in the new year and is expected to be completed by the end of 2025.

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