The official opening of the Dartmoor Building at Derriford Hospital took place on Thursday 2 October with a ceremonial ribbon cutting.

The Dartmoor Building, which houses the new Urgent Treatment Centre (UTC), will soon also become home to other key hospital services such as the Fracture Clinic, Main Outpatients and Pre-operative assessment. The new, state-of-the-art building was officially opened by Fred Thomas MP and UHP colleagues; Sally Fletcher, Linda Fulford, Roly Cawaing and Helen Anderson.

The new Urgent Treatment Centre (UTC) opened to patients in September. Dr Anne Hicks, Consultant in Emergency Medicine, said: “The new Urgent Treatment Centre will give patients a choice of where to visit when they have a minor illness or injury. So far, the Dartmoor UTC has been really impactful. Since opening, we are seeing an average of 100 patients a day, even seeing as many as 140 patients on one day. Patient feedback has also been really positive, with 99% of patients being seen within four hours. The UTC feels like a calm and spacious environment to work and to be treated. It’s been a really great team effort from everyone involved.”

The Fracture Clinic will also be relocated from the main hospital site to the Dartmoor Building and will offer a multidisciplinary team of experts the space to diagnose, treat and support patients in their recovery of fractures in a larger, modern, purpose-built healthcare environment. Both main Outpatients and Pre-operative assessment services will also be relocated to the new building.

Senior Sister for Main Outpatients, Kelly Hill, said: “The Pre-operative Assessment and Main Outpatient teams are excited to welcome patients to this brand new, state of the art facility which will enable us to deliver high-quality, patient-focused care in a modern and bespoke environment.”

The £52 million project is part of a wider estate development plan which aims to transform how care is delivered and improve lives across Plymouth, Devon and Cornwall through investment in the most up-to-date healthcare environment.