Worthing Hospital has commenced a significant expansion of its emergency department with a ground-breaking ceremony, initiating a multimillion-pound improvement programme that includes the construction of a new urgent treatment centre (UTC) in West Sussex, England, UK.

The University Hospitals Sussex National Health Service (NHS) Foundation Trust has appointed Morgan Sindall Construction and Crowther Architects for the project, which was procured through SCAPE, a public sector procurement authority.

The UTC, a single-storey, steel-frame facility, will feature a waiting room, 12 consultation rooms, and clinical support areas.

It is designed to provide urgent medical assistance for nonlife-threatening conditions and will be accessible through the NHS 111 service.

The facility will be equipped to handle the most common ailments that typically bring people to accident and emergency (A&E), potentially treating at least 40,000 patients annually.

Construction will be planned in a way that minimises disruption to hospital operations, especially during the infilling of the existing courtyard and when integrating new services into the current structure.

Special consideration will be given to reducing noise and vibration near sensitive areas such as A&E, maternity, and X-ray departments.

After a ten-month construction and clinical commissioning phase, the new UTC is expected to open in late 2025. Subsequently, the Same Day Emergency Care unit will be developed in the space currently occupied by the existing UTC.

This project is part of a broader initiative by University Hospitals Sussex to enhance and modernise emergency departments across the trust.

Morgan Sindall Construction has previously collaborated with the University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust on similar projects at St Richard’s Hospital in Chichester and Princess Royal Hospital in Haywards Heath.

Worthing Hospital director Stephen Mardlin said: “We’re delighted to see the construction begin on this £7m ($8.87m) expansion of our emergency department because it will have such a transformative effect for our patients, A&E colleagues and the rest of the hospital.”

“Located right at the front of the hospital, this development will create a new entrance for all urgent walk-in attendances, a larger waiting room, and 12 new consultation rooms and clinical support areas. It also clears the way for us to develop a Same Day Emergency Care (SDEC) unit for the first time in the hospital, to be situated where the current UTC is.”